Year: 1877

The practice of steaming food for cat. tie has passed from the region of experi- ments to that of well ascertained fact It is settled beyond question, that in cases where sufficiently large number of cattle are kept, it is matter of sub. stantial economy to cut and steam all coarse, damaged or inferior forage, corn fodder, hay that is slightly mouldy, and even straw, cut and steamed, with a slight admixture of bran or meal, have proved to be quite as good for stock, as the best hay uncooked. But few exper- iments have been made in this direction with sheep. Mir. Arvine c. Wales, of Ohio, communicates to the Country Gen. tleman, a detailed report of his practice in feeding 1,500 sheep with cut and steamed corn fodder. After describing his method of raising the fodder corn, he says:

 The stock now being fed requires about three tons of dry feed per day. The cutting is done by No. six Cum mins cutter, and it is so arranged that the cut feed as it falls from the cutting machine is carried to and placed in the tanks, wet up with the necessary quanti- ty of water, and mixed with bran or meal by machinery, so that when the cutting is done the feed is ready for the steam. Three men in an hour and half can cut three tons. With the present boiler capacity, it takes one man four hours more to steam it. The cost of fuel for cutting, mixing, steaming, pumping, etc., is about five cents per ton of dry feed. The cut is much more easily and rapidly distributed to the animals than long feed. 1t is shoveled from the tanks down into the wagons with side-boards, that stand below the bottoms of the tanks, and carried to the sheepfolds. The racks are made to accommodate twenty sheep, and this number is found to need about two bushels of cut feed The feeder bas two two bushel baskets. while he is carrying one to the rack, the boy fills the other. In this way a man and boy can feed and care for 1 ,5O0 sheep. The fodder is eaten up clean, a few joints and soiled pieces only being left, but not one per cent is wasted.

 All the advantages claimed for feed ing steamed food to cattle and horses the economy of feed, the increased health, thrift and comfort of the ani- mals-are found in an equal degree in the feeding of sheen. The effect is shown in the wool, which is of length. clearness, style, and particularly strength of staple rarely found on sheep wintered on dry feed. There is no jar, or tender place in the wool indicating the point in the growth ot the fiber where the sheep changed from green to dry feed. All the wool buyers observe this and the wool, it is believed, com- manded a higher price than any other clip bought from first hands in this or any of the adjoining counties.

 It is not claimed that the steaming of feed adds to its nutritive clements But as the pulverization and stirring of the soil promote the growth of plants by making the plant food more accessible 10 the plants, so the steaming of feed makes it at once more palatable and more readily digested and assimilated bv the animals, and performs the same office for their food that cooking does for ours.

 He concludes with the significant re- mark that "the wettipg and steaming puts the summer back into it again.