Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-02-15
Apples for Livestock.

AppicS IOT LiVS-SSV$As
Only a few farmers fully appreciate
the value Of apples as part of the feed
for COWS. Some will even tell you
they ''dry cows up" This erroneous
notion has probably been formed by
their cows breaking into their orchards,
and, being fond of Of apples and hungry,
and not having the fear Of dyspepsia
and diarrhea before their eyes, gorging
themselves nearly to the bursting point,
cloying their appetites for day or two,
and bringing on the scours. The fault
was not In the apples, but in gormand-
izipg. Should these same cows have got
at the meal box, or the grain bin, they
would have injured themselves as badly
as when foundered on apples. / have
always fed apples to cows giving milk,
and always with good results. They are
worth more when fed to cows than when
made into cider.
/ have proved the value Of apples as
food for cows, by actual experiment.
As soon as they began to fall, they were
picked up, drawn to the barn and fed by
myself. About four quarts were given
to each COW for the first few feeds until
the animals became accustomed to them,
then the quantity was gradually increas-
ed to a peck fed twice a day. Previous
to beginning feeding apples the COWS
had been receiving a fOur-Quart ration
"a h., 3 OF of ground grain, principally
corn, then selling at Sl.SO per 100 10.
With one-half the meal taken away, and
a peck Of apples substituted in its place,
there was no falling off in the quantity
of milk produced, nor in the amount OF
cream produced, as determined by the
scale in the side of the Cooley cans, and
the color Of the cream indicated that 1t
was just as rich in butter fat as former
ly. The ration of meal which had been
fed was worth 1-2 cents. One-half
saved by feeding peck OF apples would
be 3-4 cents-call it only 1-2 cents;
then bushel of apples in the barn was
worth IA cents cash to feed to cows.
paid boys penny bushel for picking
up the apples, which would leave IL
cents clear az the value of the apples.
The value of apples was found to be
still greater when fed to hogs than
when fed to cows. / fed bushel of
apples TO a small lot of hogs in the
morning when their appetites were keen,
and they were all eaten before noon. At
noon they were fed three pecks of mill
feed, and when they had eaten it up
clean, were given another bushsl OF
apples, and at dark three pecks of mill
feed. The two feeds Of ground grain
weighed 81 10. and were worth at that
time 81 cents. 1t is not easy to tix the
exact value of the apples, because it is
not certain that the hogs fattened as fast
when more than half their diet was ap-
Piles as they would have done had their
feed been all ground grain. But ap-
parently they fattened as fast as any OF
my hogs ever did when their rations
were wholly ground grain, and when
killed were found we'll fattened, and as
heavy as usual for hogs at that age. l
know by trial, that without the apples
the hogs would have eaten rather more
than 6S ID. of ground grain each day, or
would have required II ID. more in
place of the two bushels of apples.
Seventeen pounds of feed was worth
80 1-2 cents, and according to this cal
culation, which believe is correct, ap-
Piles were worth over Is cents per bushel
when fed to hogs. With cheaper grain,
Oh course, apples WouIu oo "oith ioos.
Young cattle, and horses, are jest as
fond of apples as cows and hogs. After
having been fed apples at the same time
as the cows for q week, one of our
horses would neigh and paw to manifest
his anxiety to be served as soon as he
saw me feeding feeding apples to the
cows. There is no danger of farmers
having too many apples, If they will
take care of them and feed them to their
live stock. If part of the farm is hill
side, there is the place for the orchard.
There is a natural drainage there. The
hillside is more difficult to cultivate, and
subject to erosion when kept for tillage.
When planted with trees it can be kept
in grass, which will prevent the Outlying
evil.-Cor. Country Gentleman.