The National tribune., 1894-11-29
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
Roots and suare.

| culturist of the Station, and NJ. X. J. Weld,
assistant in field and feeding experiments,
TO determine the comparative values OF
mangels and sugar beets and silage. The
summary of results is as follows: Tee in
creased yield of isdigestible organic matter
| obtained from nOn-naturing siiage corn over
| n medium maturing dent corn amounted to
4 3456 pounds per acre, or 10 per cent, assurn-
| ing both varieties to be equally digestible
Between mangels and sugar beets the
| difference in digestible organic matter
amounted to 80 pounds per acre. or 55 per
! cent, in favor of mangels. while in the yield
| OF green substance per acre the mangels led
! by 474 pounds.
The average product of the two varieties
of corn and the two classes of roots show
! difference IN digestibIe organic matter in
favor of corn amounting TO 1850 pounds pei
| acre, or 96.2 per cen. The difference in
| green substance at time of harvest was
| ass pounds, or 25.7 per cent. In dry mat
| ter the difference amounted 10 1896 pounds,
or 1914 per cent. In other words, as much
i digestible organic matter was produced on
| one acre when grown in corn as was OBJ
tanned from 1.91 acres of mangels, or 2.05
acres of sugar beets.
The cost of growing, harvesting, and
storing an acre of beets was more than
double the amount required for an acre Of
corn, charging each crop the same rent for
land and the same amount for fertilizers.
In a feeding trial involving two lots of
five cows each, and covering three periods
OF II days each, with a preliminary period
of 10 days and when the cows were fed
practically the same amounts of dry matter
in slsge and roots, 100 pounds of digessible
matter of the silage ration produced 90
,1a e 4 - l.
and Of the roots ration 1896 pounds of
milk and 6.53 pounds of butter, difference
In butter production in favor of silage
amounting to 1G.4 per cent. When the two
lots of cows were fed alike, and on a COM
bined ration of roots and silags, the silage
lot produced, per 100 pounds of digestibIe
matter consumed, 139 pounds of milk and
6.79 pounds of butter, and the roots lot $50
pounds of milk and as pounds of butter,
showing an apparent superiority of the COWS
composing the silage lot of 81 per cent,
leaving a net gain of feeding value of silage
over roots of 5 per cent.
In the period when silage was fed against
roots every animal receiving a silage ration
made gain in live weight, while four or
five animals receiving the roots ration lost
weight The silage lot made a total gain of
so pounds, and the roots lot lost 81 pounds,
=
favor of silsge. The loss sustained by the
cows receiving roots was practically re-
gained within the same number OF days in
the next period, when they were fed an
equivalent amount of dry matter in silage.
Feeding Hogs.
The subject of recent builetin at the
Utah Station is the Relative Value of
Wheat, Peas, Corn, and Barley in the Pro-
duction of Pork 1t is a record of feeding
experiment with Berkshire hogs during the
Winter of 1693-94. There were four sets
of hogs fed. OBe was fed wheat and bran
in equal proportions by weight, one peas
and bran, another corn and bran, and a
fourth barley and bran. In other respects
the conditions were equal. The striking re-
suit of the trial is the great superiority of
peas over the grains. The experiment ex-
tended from Dec. s. 1898, TO May Is, 1894.
Daring this time the pigs in the set which
was fed peas made a gain Of Loo pounds per
pig per day. Those fed wheat gsined so
pounds per day; taose fed corn IS those
fed barley So; or, during the whole period,
the three pigs fed peas gained 528 pounds,
and those fed on wheat 33:I pounds. Wheat
ranked next 10 peas in m king growth.
1t will be noticed that bushel of wheat
in this case produced about so cents, worth
of pork. Those interested in feeding wheat
to hogs will be able to figure out from this
experiment just about how much they can
make out of their wheat by so doing. It
is summarized as fellows:
Peas mixed with bran, half and half by
weight, proved TO be far superior to either
wheat, corn, or barley mixed and fed in the
same manner, both as to rapid gain and to
the amount required for one pound of gain.
The wheat mixture comes second, with
horla he
named.
The pea mixture gave gain of nearly
200 pounds more than the wheat mixture,
225 pounds more than the corn mix ture, and
259 pounds more than the barley mixture.
While the pigs averaged The same weight
it required SO of pound more of the wheat
mixture, 1.41 pounds more of the corn mix
ture, and 1.53 pounds more of the barley
mixture to produce one pound of gain than
of the pea mixture.
Peas and wheat proved to be excellent
feed fed mixed with bran in the manner
described.
Reckoning pork at four cents per pound,
live weight, after deducting the cost of the
bran at SO per ton, wheat fed in this ex-
pertinent brought 89.4 per bushel, or $1.49
per hundredweight, peas 81 20 per hundred
weight, corn SIPS per huudredweight and
barley $1.23 per hundredweight.
On the above basis peas should be worth
Is per cent more than wheat, while corn
should be worth 10 per cent. less, and bar
ley II per cent. less.
The pigs were pure-bred Berkshires, the
gains were only moderately good, and not
excessive, yet it is thought that the general
run of pigs in the Territory would not do SO
well.
Feeding Farm Horses.
In the management OF the horse on the
farm during the Winter it is quite an item
to keep in thrifty condition at low cost
This is especially true of those that are not
at work. 1t is hardly good economy to allow
animals of any kind to run down. The
saving of feed in this manner is poor economy
at best. With comfortable shelter, regular
feeding and watering, if the feeding is COM
menced in good season In the Fall, idle
horses can be kept in good condition with
very little grain, and this is an item in les
sening the cost. With all stock grain feed
ing is the most expensive, and with all
growing stock and all that are kept for work
or milk, it is big item to reduce the cost of
feeding during the Winter. 1t viii be found
more economical to supply good shelter, to
feed and water regularly, and keep in good
condition in this way, than to be obliged to
feed extra grain.
A Good Condition Powder.
a Il :