The National tribune., 1893-08-31
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers

Prof Shaw, of Canada, discussing in the Ohio
Farmer the results attained at the Ontario
station in the cultivation of grasses says:
q" In the list Of grasses which, in the present
state of our knowledge, we consider unsuitable,
or not highly suitable, for permanent pastures
in Ontario. may DO included the rye grasses,
the feseues, other than meadow fsscue and tall
fescue, and various other varieties. as yellow
oat grass. sweet vernal, evergreen meadow,
crested dogs tail. and wood hair.
1.-THE rye grasses are Of great value in the
pastures of Great Britain, owing 20 their quick
habits of growth and to their Dalatabilisy, but
in our climate we cannot recommend them. In
every instance wherein they have been tried
which has come under our notice. they have
not been able to endure the cold Of our Winters.
This is true of three varieties, the annual,
perennial and italian. They grow quickly the
first year, but do not make sufficient headws
to justify growing them for the one season
only. 1t may be, however, that these grasses
would be found suitable for the latitude Of
southern Ohio.
Nearly all the varieties of fescue are very
hardy. They will retain their hold upon the
ground for many years, but they grow so slowly
that in this continent of dry Summers we do
not feel justified in the meantime in recon-
mending them suitable for permanent pas
lures. So far they produce pasture, how
ever, the quality is excellent, owing to the
fneuess of the growth.
yellow oat grass is fine and suceulent, bat
is lacking in bulk product, and is not 50 endur-
ing as the tall oat grass.
N he liat NJ cla ~ fAobI fo-
manent pastures may be mentioned the COM
mon red the mammoth and the Welsh. None
of these varieties lasts long enough, and when
sown in permanent pastures they tend to
smother some other grasses the first season. II
used at all in these, therefore, only small
amount Of seed should be used"
Experiments with swine at various stations
in this country are summarized as follows by
one of the Professors of the Guelph College,
Canada:
Upward of 20 experiments have been con-
Quoted in the United States regarding the
relative value of cooked and raw feed. In
almost every instance the absolute gain in
live weight and the gain in weight per
pound of feed consumed was greater from
tAO Ia" budH JIG COOk6u lSou II
nearly all cases, however, the animal consumed
a greater quantity of the raw than the cooked
food, and this may partially explain the cause
of the greater gain in the former case. Even
where as much Of the cooked as the raw feed
was consumed the latter not unfrequently gave
the best results. On the whole these results
go to show that no advantage was gained by
the cooking of the feed, and in fact there seems
to be a disadvantage in feeding cooked food as
against the raw material. Our own tests agree
exactly with the results of these experiments.
II should be noted that in most of the expert
nents the cooked feed was fed cold. thus making
it test of cooked feed and not warm feed.
"a dozen or more experiments have been con-
Quoted to ascertain more fully the influence Of
feeding ground grain as against the unground.
The results vary considerably among them
selves, owing, no doubt, to the kind Of grain
fed, the amount of feed consumed by the ami
NAL, and other causes. The results Of the
experiments carried on at the Ontario Station,
which lasted for two Winters, gave results in
favor of grinding when peas and barley were
used. Several of the American stations have
obtained results against grinding. Where corn
is ground to large extent, and used as the
principal factor of the feed, the results may be
different from those which we have obtained
from peas and oats"