Farm and Garden.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 115, 14 December 1908, Page 3

Farm and Garden.

Cooked v. Raw Food for Stock

The question of cooking fool for stock has often been discussed, and tested experimentally. Nothing seems more reasonable than that cooking sh >uld improve the digestibility, and accordingly the feeding value of foods, but the weight of experimental evidence is agai-at cooking, and many observant prececal men have come to the same conclusion. A report of the latest trial of cooked v. raw food comes from the University College of Wales, Aberstwyth, and is referred to in the London "Field." During last winter experiments were conducted with the object of discovering whether pigs did better on cooked than on raw food, and if so, whether the benefit derived from cooking was sufficient to compensate for the extra expense. Two separate experiments! were conducted, the first with eight-week-old pie's. There were two lots of five, and they were fed identically, except that one had potatoes cooked and the other raw. The cooked potatoes were boiled in the beginning of each week, and fed cold. Lot 1 totalled 1741b., and lot 2, which had the raw potatoes, 1731b., on October 16, when the experiment began, and the weights on December 17 had increased —lot 1, 1541b., lot 2, 1231b. Thua there was an ad*, antage in favour of the cooked potatoes, but after making allowance for the cost of cooking it amounted in money to only Is 5d on the whole lot, or S&d per pig. The second experiment was begun on January 8 with pigs ten weeks old, and continued until Ferbuary 19. Briefly stated, the result was a gain of 1271b. for the cooked potato lot, and 1081b. for the other, and here the net difference in the monetary result counting the value of the increase at 6s per score, was 4d in favour of the uncooked potatoes. Thus no case has been established for cooking even with young pigs. True, the youngsters which were fed on the cooked potatoes did better than the others, but even then it is questionable if the difference was all the result of the ration. In small lots of pigs like these the error of experiment may be considerable. The cooked potatoes were fed cold, which wai of course necessary to test the value of cooking in itself, but had they been fed in a warm mash with the other food no doubt more striking results would have been Been. If cooking food for pigs is to be indulged in at all, it is advisable in the winter particularly to feed while hot, for it is from the heat more than anything the advantage is to be gaind.

A cow is the last creature one would expect to see with earrings, yet every cow in Belguim has to wear them. The Director-General of Agriculture has issued a regulation that all animals of the bovine species are to wear earrings as soon as they have attained the age of three months. This ahygienic measure, intended to prevent the introduction into Belgium of animals suffering from tuberculosis. Breeders are to be obliged to keep an exact account of all animals raised by them, and the ring {on which is engraved a number) is fastened in the animal's ear for the purpose of preventing—or helping to prevent—the substitution of one animal for another.

The following is recommended by an Australina paper as a cure four feather-eating:— Put three or' four lumps of fresh burnt lime, the size of eggs, into an iron burnt pot, shake the lime, then stir in about six ozs. of flowers of sulphur, add gradually two quarts of boiling water, stirring all the time. Boil gently for an hour or so, pour off the clear liquid, which will be the colour of dark brandy, cork and bottle. A second boiling may be made with fresh water, but the liquid will not be so strong. A tableapoonful of he liquid for every six hens in the water used for mixing the mash is the best way to give it. The liquid is also a good tonic, and will keep the fowl's plumage in good condition.

In a bushel of wheat there are about 550,000 seeds. Overloading of the churn retards the coming of the butter, and adds to the labour.

Good, rich, cream, with a large percentage of buter-fat, will keep sweet the longest. Desirable qualities in a herd are fixed by a long line of careful selections and breeding. The two important factors for the brood sow are proper feed and plenty of exercise. The more uniform and comfortable the dairy cow's surroundings, the more uniform will be her yield.

Depth of rib, together with the wellsprung rib of a wide horse, mean heart, lung, and digestive capacity. Horses which are judiciously fed and well groomed will stand double the amount of hard work they would under careless treatment.

Bones are preferred to other more active phosphatic manures in cases where a gentle but continuous supply of phosphoric acid and ammonia is required.