News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-10-08
LATE GRAZING.
Rhe Quantity of DigestibIe Matter I'm Old
as COMPARED with Young Grass.

Khe Quantity OF DIgeStiDle MhtleT IN via
as Compared with Young Grass.
In season when the grass grows too
fast for the animals to keep pace with.it,
the grazing of meadows Is uneven and
there are patches gnawed down bare and
Ithers which are practically untouched
and animals rarely do well under these
circumstances, for they are in the posi-
ton of having a large supply of food by
them, the greater part of which is both
unpalatable and innutritious. hecause ~
the grasses become overmature the
soluble feeding ingredients are converted
into insoluble and indigestible woody
fiber That there is a greater quantity
of indigestible matter in old grass Is
shown by the increased size Of the drop
pings late in the season, rs compared
with those evacuated when the grass Is
younger and more nutritious, more food
having to be taken in when it is old and
tough to supply the necessary nutri
ton 1t is significant fact that no
matter how good the grass may be in the
later summer months, it is rarely equal
in feeding properties to spring grass, and
in the event of "a very wet period coming
as it sometimes does, the quality of the
grass deteriorates in proportion to the
rapidity of its growth. and extra food is
necessary to produce the improvement
in the condition of the animals which is
desired
The most approved form in which to
supply the additional food has to be reg
ulated by circumstances, although it is
often treated in a very haphazard man
ner. Linseed cake stands with regard
to cattle much in the same category as
dung to land; it is safe, and unless
placed in very Inexperienced hands.
rarely does injury. and some benefit is
visible on almost all occasions; it is. in
fact, the food which may be looked upon
as the best all round one, but it is quite
possible that in particular cases it is not
the one which would give the best re-
suit. In cases of scour. when animals
are in the yards, the bowels may often
be brought to healthy condition by
withdrawing the supply of linseed cake.
thus showing that the cake is either the
cause or partial cause of the disturbance
If the linseed cake affects the animals in
this way when they are in the fattening
sheds, it is only reasonable to suppose
that it should not be altogether free
from the imputation in the field, and
when the bowels are in too loose condi-
ton from the oversucculence of grass.
it is quite conceivable that it would be
wiser to give the animals their concen-
trated additional food in some other
form.
Cotton cake is known to produce cos
tiveness if given in too large quantities,
and it acts as a corrective when the food
has been of too laxative nature; but il
is too heterogeneous in its constitution to
be given alone, therefore it should be
given in connection with something
which supplies more fattening proper
ties. In the early portion of the grazing
season, when the grasses contain a con-
siderable quantity of carbonaceous mat
ter, nothing is better than an adlnixture
with an equal quantity of linseed cake |
but later in the season, when the starchy |
matter has become destroyed, or rather |
into woody fiber, it is better |
to give additional starchy food, and
mixture composed of equal parts of lin
seed cake, cotton cake and grittled maize
will be found to give the best results.