The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-06-23
FARM AND AGRICULTURAL

FARM AND AaRICULTUR1L
SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR THE
FARMERS.
Some Excellent Rules for the Scien-
tine Feeding Of Stock-Points ON
Breeding-To Fatten Ducks-Facts
About Fertilizers.
Careful observations made at the
Missouri experiment station have been
formulated into q series Of practical
rules for breeding, Of which the follow
ing are brief synopsis:
1. Animals should be fed as much
as they can digest without injury to
health
2. They should be fed balanced ra-
hOn"-that is, one In which the various
ingredients are adapted to their needs
and the purpose in feeding.
3. Food is required to maintain ami
NAL heat, hence animals exposed to
cold require more food than those pro-
vided with warm, but well ventilated
quarters. The man, therefore, who is
kind to his cattle is kind to himself.
4. The digestive capacity Of animals
may be stimulated by a variety Of food,
salt, etc.
With regard to the substances which
enter into the composition Of foods for
stock, usually arranged in six groups,
the following dc .initions are given:
1. Water: The amount of this varies
with the kind of food supplied. While
pure water has no nutritive value in
itself, it plays no unimpOrtant part In
the animal economy, and should be
freely supplied, and of the best attain
able quality
2. Ash: This is what remains after
the combustible portions have been
burned away. 1t supplies the mineral
ingredients to the animal body.
8. Protein pronounced proteein): Is
the heterogeneous portion Of the food,
and goes to form muscle and all other
heterogeneous parts Of the body, aiding al
most In the formation Of fat 1t is the
most valuable Of all the food ingred-
tents.
4. Fat: This substance produces AMI
NAL heat, or is stored up in the body
as fat for future use.
5. Carbohydrates include the starch
es, gums, sugars, ETC., and produce Tat
and heat.
6. Fiber: This substance has about
the same composition as the carbohy-
drates, but is much less digestible, and
has but little IL any nutritive value.
It is by knowledge of these various
ingredients, as combined in different
%G4L a. hi
to secure the best results, whether they
are feeding for milk or muscle. A
man who feeds haphazard, with what
ever he has on hand, may happen to
hit on the right ration, but the chances
are he will make very serious mistakes
The subject for rations for cattle is one
Of the deepest with which stock own.
ers have to do.
Feeding Bran.
With nearly all kinds Of stock bran
can be fed to a good advantage, and
especially 30 during the summer. Al
the prices it is usually sold at during
| the summer it makes one Of the very
cheapest foods that can be supplied
| Some use more or less in the dairy
but while it makes valuable foo(
| for the COWS and the teams, brook
mares and growing pigs can be givel
more or less to a good advantage. /
can be fed for milk. for growth, to ado
| to the variety. and for manure. FOl
| fertilizing alone it adds nearly or quite
| its cost to the manure and for the pur
| pose at least it is worth twice the value
| OF coarse meal. One advantage is feed
| ing It is that there is little or no waste
| is easily assimilated and contains bu
q small amount of indigestible ma
| terials. It is also in condition to b,
combined to a good advantage will
other materials. In itself it is not .
complete food; in feeding in nearly al
| cases it's best results are secured b.
| feeding In connection with other ma
| terials. With the milk COWS, oil meal
| corn meal and bran with good pas
| turage make q complete ration for mill
and butter.
With growing pigs bran can be uset
| with middlings, ground cats, barley o
| corn meal, and IL made into slOp witt
sweet skim milk with any of these
win aid materially in securing
| strong, vigorous growth with good de
| velopment Of bone and muscle. Flo
| the teams bran can be combined witt
almost any kind Of grain with benefit
while with unthreshed oats, il they ar
run through q cutting box, it make
one Of the best rations that can b
supplied.
MANY purchase bran all through tn
winter from necessity; In many IL
calities from this time on it can be sc
cured at fair prices, SO that generall
it can be bought and used in connection
with other materials to good advan
tage.
When grain raising is combined wit
stock feeding the manurial value OF Al
feeds must be considered IL the feri
ity of the soil is to be kept up, an
with bran this this is one item gained
Is it is one of the best materials tina
can be fed to stock when the value Q
the manure is an item. It is not bes
to depend on bran alone, but on nearl
all farms more or less can be used t
good advantage.-N. J. s., in Prairi
Farmer.
To Fatten Ducks.
An English contemporary says
First, select clean, shady yards;
they are grassy SO much the better
Do not put more than 100 birds t.
gether, giving them about six or eigh