The Springdale news., 1889-11-01
THE VALUE OF STRAW.
Mine of Wealth Suffered to GC to
 W astc Many Farms.


 Waste on Many Farms.
 l probably place higher value on straw than most farmers do, for be- Heve that if 1t is managed as it should be 1t will pay all the expenses of haul ing the wheat from the shock and threshing. Many careful tests have been made at our experiment stations to determine the relative weight of straw to grain, and these show the average to be about two pounds of straw to one of grain, or little over sixteen bushels of wheat to one ton of straw. utilize every pound of my straw, either for food or as an absorb ent to add to the bulk and value of the manure pile, and should just as soon think of piling corn or hay in the woods and leaving it to decay as to do the same with straw. Both chemical analysis and the experience of our best farmers show that wheat straw, if saved in good condition, has more than half the feeding value of average hay, and that it can be combined with other foods, so as to furnishnot only d cheaper but q better ration for cattle than an exclusive hay diet 1 mean by this simply that an animal may be fed straw iu connection with the richer nitrogenous foods. oil meal, corn and bran, so that the cost will be less and the grain and condition of the animal greater than if it was wintered on hay alone. Cattle that run to a straw stack and are fed six or eight pounds of the aboye-named foods mixed each day will winter in better condition than if fed all the hay they will eat without grain. Straw pays in the additional comfort of the stock. Our cattle need little outdoor eXer- else each day and it is not good practice to allow them to roam over the farm or stand in a muddy barn-yard, and by stacking the straw in q small well-draiued yard convenient to the barn, so that tie waste from the managers can be scattered over it, the waste from the straw stack with this will keep the stock dry under foot and in bright winter days the cattle are the picture of comfort as they stand to the leeward side Of stack. Then the horse stable will be comfortable and pleasant if the horses are furnished generous bed, and the urine, instead oi escaping through the floor. will be absorbed by the straw and add greatly to the value of the manure. Never carry over astraw-stack unless you find there is likely to failure of wheat and a shortage of straw the ensuing summer. Itry to getafl the straw ua- der foot ii the barn-yard before the last of the stock go 10 pasture, and Ii find the stock are not getting it down fast enough cut it down with 8 hay-1nife, and throw down part of it at time and scatter it over the barnyard. After the cattle have gone to pasture, when there comes heavy rain all hands go to work and fork the wet straw and manure which has accumulated during the winter into flat piles four or five feet high, shaking it up and mixing il we'll We then feed our hogs for few days on these heaps. so as to make the surface fine and pac'- enough to pre- vent the escape Of ammonia. In from two 10 four weeks it is ready for a sec ond turning, and the wetter it is at the time the better This second turning fits it for top dressing the wheat or grass land, as it will be fine enough so as not to interfere with the use of the drill. Another use of straw which 1 think would be profitable is mulehing the wheat with it. If you would have field of wheat which has not made growth enough to protect the roots and have an old straw stack, the first time the ground freezes enough to bear the team scatter light coating of straw over it and l think you will find it profitable way 10 use it, as it not only protects from freezing and thawing, but also fertilizes to some extent. In conclusion, let me say, utilize your straw in some way. There is mine of wealth suffered to go to waste by neglecting it. Waldo I. Brown, in h diana Farmer.