Year: 1876




H. with the question, what to do with
ms surplus straw 1t has puzzled many
..mers where large amounts OF grain are
-r9wu lie says.


] have three OF four tons of oat and
BARLEY straw, and the straw of fifty BUSH
t., ui wheat, save what has been used tor
scldiug the stock thus far this winter.
Is hal shall do with it Will it pay to
'red 1T II 50, to what


The above are simple questions for a
farmer ot thirty years experience to ask,
and W, ask them in ali candor and sim
ccrity have asked myself the same
llauy times and got different answers.
partly because the queries are put under
various circumstances, and partly, per-
lapS. because | have sometimes taken a
more extensive or rather extended view
20 The matter. There are exceptions to
..l rules. For instance; when winter
OlD>ed in upon Us in lS11-the winter fol-
owing the terrible scourge of grasshop-
lerS and we found ourselves with the
east stock we thought we could get on
with and not halt hay enough for what
We had, it paid us to feed meadow hay and
straw 80 in answer to my first question
roi iced it with meal and roots"


IAis wear there IS more hay than stock,
sad The only consideration is one of econ
mr: 50 the questions return again. My
cows are eating all the good, early cut hay
tI.v want three quarts each of sugar
.ets Al night, and one quart OF barley
-g4l and two of shorts in the morning :;
4-c driven to water in the cellar twice a
l4y. and Immediately tied up in warm
-arn bedded with straw and left to furnish
uutter stock, and we are making now,
Jan. lst. five lbs. per COW. that sells readi-
Iy iur i0c. pound, and the cows are to
aomc in in March. Will it pay to feed
straw 10 them ! have a nice yoke of fat
oxen that are doing my work, and it will
axe them through this week to finish it,
The days will be longer then. the steers
Saunted up a little. and with the warmer
lays and decreasing appetite, taking into
account the objective point in rearing
.Xen, viz: the beef they will make, will
il pay to give them any more straw than
,ney want to lie upon. Then there are
The Young cattle-why everybody, almost,
says they will do well enough on straw
Wen. let us see: The steers are designed
TO make at least ten hundred of beet each,
And to do that with good economy will il
pay H. turn them from the barn in the
spring no better than they came to it in
the fall, if indeed as good? Then the
heifers are with calf, and are to make
dairy or stock cows. or both, and in the
time when they ought to be growing, and
the extra draught on the system at this
particular time, will diet of good. sweet
early cut hay be any too good; or if lit
Ia. in addition eriu
not pay Just as we'll and even better, if in
addition to the hay, than if with straw
where the virtue OF the roots or grain is
expended in getting the straw through the
animal Then there are the sheep, that
pay better profit than any other stock
upon the farm, and drop their lambs il
March surely, they cannot eat the straw
50 think | shall continue for this winter
at least, to put the straw under and l.o
inside the cattle"


Maine is state where hay is usual,
abundant and of fine quality. Western
farmers cannot, OF at least do not RELY SC
much on hay as winter food for stock, ant
cut corn stalks, and in some cases straw
with corn meal prohtably take its place
After all, we suspect that the meal sup
plies most of the nutriment, and the straw
eaten is of little value All that can b.
worked up into manure as bedding, ant
TO retain liquid and solid excrement which
would otherwise be wasted, is profitabl,
used. The surplus, after doing this. may
be profitably sold. and more concentrated
and valuable fertilizers purchased in it
stead. In some localities load of straw
will sell for enough to buy ten loads o
stable manure, or quarter of a ton o
superphosphate. In other places, stool
may be bought on the farm, fattened thro
winter, and the straw used as bedding
This will require the purchase Of addition
al grain or oil meal as feed, and the profit.
will be found mainly in the manure pile