The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1919-02-06
FEED ROUCHACE
TO Save GRAIN
Straw and Slower Satisfactory
for Making Up Large Part
OF Winter Ration.
HUMAN FOOD IS CONSERVED
Largest Profits Returned From Herds
Maintained Most Largely on
Rouohages-Not Good for
Fattening Swine.

Only those feeds should be used In
wintering live stock which will keep
the animals In a thrifty. growing con-
dition. In following this policy II is
possible for the stockman to cut down
his own feed bills and prevent from
going to waste many of his home
grown farm products which In the past
hnve been entirely or partially lost in
utilizing as far as possible corn stover,
straw and such material, other prod
ucts formerly fed to live stock. but
which are suited and much needed for
human food, can be conserved.
1t is estimated that the total amount
Of corn stover and straws burned.
plowed under, allowed to rot In stacks,
and wasted In other ways Is worth
over $100,000,0O0 This is an appalling
loss, and II these feedstuffs were used
In the feeding of cattle. sheep, and
horses II would result In greatly in
creased profits to individual farmers
as well as tend to increase the supply
Of meat ana dairy products.
After three years study with cattle
In the corn belt the office of farm
management of the United States de-
partment of agriculture has demon
strated that the breeding herds main
tained most largely on roughage, such
MS oat or wheat straw and corn stover
with very small quantity of con-
centrate feed, such as cottOnseed meal
corn, etc.. are the herds from which
the large profits are returned.
How Straw 10 Used.
OF the total amount of straw pro-
duced annually In the United States
54.9 per cent, or "a. .70S. 900 tons, is esti-
mated to have been used for feeding
purposes, while that used for bedding
Is estimated at 1913 per cent. or H..
$4,000 tons. Accordingly, the total
nsed in live stock production would be
about 87.2 per cent, or 7a,227 900 tons.
The straw that was sold. plowed uu-
der. and burned amounts to about 1928
per cent Of the total, or 3S.527 600
tons. Thus more than one-third of the
total production Of straw is being used
to disadvantage. 0ne-half Of which IL an
almost total loss. II straw Is not used
by live stock or plowed under, Its value
as q soil-enrichlng material In mainly
lost. Its chief value as a fertilizing
material lies not In its fertilixing ele-
ments, but In its tissues as source Of
humus. Because Of Its value as food
and. when used for bedding. ms an alb
sorbent Of liquid manure, It Is very
poor economy to plow straw under
when II can be used as a feedstufr or
bedding material.
Use Straw and Slower.
Practical experience as well as ex-
perimental work has taught that straw
and stover can be used very economi-
cally In the rations Of almost all kinds
Of live stock. These roughages are
and should be used In the fattening
rations Of oil farm animals except
hogs. and should compose larger part
OF all wintering or keeping rations for
cattle, sheep, and horses. Breeding
herds Of beef cattle or dry dairy cows
can be successfully kept on rations
composed largely Of these materials.
Flocks of breeding ewes do well with
such feeds when some grain Is added.
Horses doing very light or no work
need little grain II given plentiful al
l0wance Of clean. bright straw or