Smyrna times., 1963-07-18

feeding VIII be needed for pro-
ducing dairy herds or growing
livestock.
There is no point In allowing
livestock TO walk over burned
pasture In search of something
TO eat. They would be much
better off In the shade with
some supplemental feed.
If you're planning to buy hay
there are some things to watch
for. Visual inspection doesn't
tell what's inside a bale of hay.
Hay buyers should become
Three T" purchasers. We ex-
plain the three T formula this
way:
The first T Is for time -
time the hay was cut. Hay cut
during the first 10 days of May
can be IS percent digesuble
bur the same hay cut on June
l will have dropped to so per-
cent. This Is a loss of 300
pounds of digestible nutrients.
In a grain bag this would cost
you $l2 = SIS reason enough
to know when the hay was cut.
The second T stands for ton,
the usual weight basis on which
hay is bought. One dollar for
a 90 pound bale of hay equals
$33 a ton, but a dollar for a
40 pound bale equals $50 per
ton. The weight of the indiN-
dual bale of hay thus is very
important. Buy by weight in
stead of the bale.
The third T is for test. If
a ton of hay testing 8 per-
cent crude protein is purchased.
500 pounds of cottonseed meal
will have to be fed with it to
make 1t equal the protein In a
ton of hay testing 10 percent
protein.
The 8 T hay buyer knows what
he has bought, and how much.
s&ss%&s#%&s%s%%*
POISONOUS PLANTS are
taking their toll of livestock
annually In Delaware. About $50
plants cause internal poisoning
to livestock when eaten. Most Of
them are dangerous throughout
the year, although some are
seasonal hazards In particular.
With few exceptions. grazing
animals will not eat poisonous
plants unless forced to by q
lack of good forage. This Sit
uation occurs mostly In early
spring, lare fall or winter, anc
during periods of drought. Il
can be remedied with an ade-
quate supply of forage for live
stock.
Don't let your livestockgraze
near dumps where poisons may
have been discarded. Hedge
clippings or garden refuse may
be extremely dangerous also
because of spray residues.
Keep animals away from
plowed fields, eroded ground or
new bitches. These areas may
have exposed roots which are
sometimes poisonous. Some
poisoning may occur from algae
In waterholes. This might very
well have been the case at the
Treadway Inn pond where
several ducks died recently.
Frequently. poisonous plants
are found growing around build
ings or fences. Many times cat
tie will Craze through fence:
when the best pasture Is
right under their feet. Maybe
they require a variety In their
diet. However, this could bs
an expensive one.
Some plants, although non
poisonous In the usual sense
cause internal injury due Il
sharp thorns and spines. Som,
of them wound the mouth, caus
ing infection and eventually tn,
animal may starve.
Early diagnosis of plant poi
soning Is important. If you sus
pect plant poisoning, call q
veterinarian right away and re
move the animal from the are
where poisoning occurred.
Most of the poisonous plants
can be destroyed by diggin,
them up. burning them or ap,
plying chemicals. Sometimes
is more practical to fence area,
off where poisonous plant,
abound rather than destro,
them.
Good management is tn,
secret for controlling poisonou,
plants. Usually, undesirabl,
plants cannot compete with |
well-developed grass sod.
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