The Stock-Feeder's Manual Part 23

At a meeting of the Council of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, held some time ago, the subject of the nutrimental value of condimental cattle food was discussed. As there is scarcely any kind of quackery, from spirit manifestations to Holloway's pills, that has not got its believers, there were, as might have been antic.i.p.ated, some voices raised at this meeting in favor of Thorley's food; but the _sense_ of the meeting was decidedly against it. Professor Simonds p.r.o.nounced it to be worthless.

Although the greater number of equine proprietors and feeders of stock are too sensible to throw their money away in the purchase of those costly foods, still there are by no means an insignificant number who employ it, under the idea that it preserves the health of the animals; these stuffs are also highly appreciated by many grooms and herds.

Now, for the information of all believers, I may state that there is no mystery whatever in the nature of condimental cattle foods. They consist in substance of such matters as linseed-cake, Indian corn, rice, bean-meal, locust-beans, and malt-combings. These substances are flavored by the addition of turmeric-root, ginger, coriander-seed, carraway-seed, fenugreek-seed, aniseed, liquorice, and similar substances. In addition to the nutritive and flavorous articles employed in the manufacture of these foods, purely medicinal substances are also made use of with the idea that they would prove useful in maintaining the health and stimulating the appet.i.te of the animals. These medicinal ingredients const.i.tute but a small proportion of the compound, although they add considerably to the cost of manufacture. The following is a formula for a condimental food, which in every respect will be found fully equal, if not superior, to the ordinary high-priced articles.

cwt. qrs. lbs.

Linseed-meal, or cake 7 0 0 Locust beans (ground) 8 0 0 Indian corn 4 1 0 Powdered turmeric 0 1 4 Ginger 0 0 3 Fenugreek-seed 0 0 2 Gentian 0 0 10 Cream of tartar 0 0 2 Sulphur 0 0 20 Common salt 0 0 10 Coriander-seed 0 0 5 ----------------- One ton.

A ton of condimental food manufactured according to this formula will cost only about the same amount as an equal weight of linseed, and will produce an effect fully equal to that of the food which at one time was sold at 60 per ton.

Whatever may be the medicinal virtues of these foods, or however appropriate the term "condimental" which has been applied to them, it is quite certain that their whilom designation "concentrated"

was a misnomer. Their composition shows that they possess a degree of nutritive power considerably below that of linseed-cake, and but little, if at all, superior to that of Indian corn.

The following a.n.a.lytical statement, which I published some years ago, will give an insight into the nature of these articles:--

a.n.a.lYSES OF CONDIMENTAL FOOD.

Thorley's. Bradley's.

Water 1200 1209 Nitrogenous, or flesh-forming principles 1492 1036 Oil 608 580 Gum, sugar, mucilage, &c. 5686 6021 Woody fibre 546 532 Mineral matter (ash) 468 622 ------ ------ 10000 10000

As a ton of linseed-cake contains a greater amount of nutriment than an equal quant.i.ty of condimental food, the latter should be clearly proved to possess very valuable specific virtues, in order to induce the feeder to use it extensively. Cattle and horses out of condition may be benefited by its carminative and tonic properties; but if they are, it surely must be a bad practice to feed healthy animals upon a substance which is a remedy in disease. It is a.s.serted, and probably with some degree of truth, that when dainty, over-fed stock loathe their food, they are induced to eat greedily by mixing the "condimental" with their ordinary food. If such really be the case, let the feeder compound the article himself, and effect thereby a saving of perhaps 50 or 80 per cent. in the cost of it. A good condimental food, rich in actual nutriment, and pleasantly flavored, is no doubt a compound which might be used with advantage; but it should be sold at a moderate and fair price.

[Footnote 26: See Transactions of Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland for 1852.]

[Footnote 27: Zig-zag clover, or Marl gra.s.s? Cowgra.s.s is _Trifolium pratense perenne_.]

[Footnote 28: This gentleman has invented an exceedingly simple but effective furze-bruiser, which I hope soon to see in general use.]

[Footnote 29: H. Le Docte, in _Journal de la Societe Centrale d'Agriculture de Belgique_.]

[Footnote 30: Cellulose is the term applied to the chemical substance which forms woody fibre. The latter is made up of very minute spindle-shaped tubes. In young and succulent plants these tubes are often lined with layers of soft cellulose. In many plants--such as trees--in a certain stage of development, the substance lining the cells is very hard, and is termed _lignin_, or _sclerogen_. This substance is merely a modification of cellulose; and both resemble in composition sugar and starch so closely that, by heating them with sulphuric acid, they may be converted into sugar.]

[Footnote 31: One part of oil is equal to 2-1/2 parts of starch--that is, 2-1/2 parts of starch are expended in the production of 1 part of fat.]

[Footnote 32: No difference is here a.s.sumed between the nutritive value of sugar and starch.]

[Footnote 33: Unless when Kohl-rabi is cultivated, for the bulbs of this plant may be preserved in good condition up to June. I have advocated the cultivation of the radish as a food crop in the "Agricultural Review" for 1861.]

[Footnote 34: According to some chemists, sugar does not exist in ripe grain, but is produced in it, during the process of a.n.a.lysis, by the action of the re-agents employed and the influence of the air.]

[Footnote 35: Report to Government on feeding cattle with Malt, 1844.]

[Footnote 36: _Monthly Agricultural Review_, Dublin, February, 1859.]

[Footnote 37: _Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland,_ October, 1858.]

[Footnote 38: 3 lbs. of rape-cake, 3/4 lb. malt combs, 3/4 lb. bran, steamed together with a sufficient quant.i.ty of straw.]