From these tables it will be seen that, taking good English or meadow hay as the standard of comparison, and calling that one, 4.79 times the weight of rye-straw, or 3.83 times the weight of oat-straw, contains the same amount or nutritive matter; that is, it would take 4.79 times as much rye-straw to produce the same result as good meadow hay.

The more elaborate nutritive equivalents of Boussingault will be found to be very valuable and suggestive, and the following table is given in this connection for the sake of convenient reference.

NUTRITIVE EQUIVALENTS. (Practical and Theoretical.)

ARTICLES
OF FOOD.		THEORETICAL VALUES.Practical values, as obtained by
experiments in feeding, according to
Boussingault.Fresenius.
Water
in
100 parts.		Nitrogen
in
100 parts
of dried
substance.		Nitrogen
in
100 parts
of undried
substance.		Nutritive
equivalent.		Relative
proportion
of
nitrogenized
to non-
nitrogenized
substances.		Nutritive
equivalent.		Block.Petri.Meyer.Thaër.Pabst.Schwertz.Schweit-
zer.
English Hay,11.01.341.15100-100 100 100100100100100100
Lucerne,16.61.661.38 83--- 90- 90100100-
Red Clover-hay,10.11.701.54 751to 6.0877.9100  90- 90100100-
Red Clover (green),76.0- .64311--430 --450425--
Rye-straw,18.7 .30 .244791to24.405277⁄12200 500150666350-267
Oat-straw,21.0 .36 .303831to12.504455⁄12200 200150190200400200
Carrot-leaves (tops),70.92.94 .85135---------
Swedish Turnips,91.01.83 .17676---300-300250200-
Mangold Wurzel,----1to 7.263911⁄3366 4002504602503333662⁄3
White Silician Beet,85.61.43 .18669---------
Carrots,87.62.40 .303821to 7.84542.1366 250225300250270300
Potatoes,75.91.50 .363191to 9.003305⁄12216 200150200200200200
Potatoes kept in pits,76.81.18 .30383--400 ------
Beans, 7.95.505.11 231to 2.8 345⁄12 30  54 50 73 40- 30
Peas, 8.64.203.84 271to 2.14341⁄3 30  54 48 66 40Boussin-
gault		 30
Indian Corn,18.02.001.64 701to 6.55-- 52--- 59-
Buckwheat,12.52.402.10 551to 6.05935⁄12- 64-----
Barley,13.22.021.76 651to 4.25- 33  61 53 76 50- 35
Oats,12.42.221.92 601to 4.085811⁄12 39 1⁄2 71- 86 60-371⁄2
Rye,11.52.272.00 581to 4.42581⁄16 33  55 51 71 50-331⁄2
Wheat,10.52.332.09 551to 2.42385⁄6 27  52 46 64 40- 30
Oil-cake (Linseed),13.46.005.20 22-- 42 108---- 43
ARTICLES
OF FOOD.		THEORETICAL VALUES.
Boussingault.Fresenius.
Water
in
100 parts.		Nitrogen
in
100 parts
of dried
substance.		Nitrogen
in
100 parts
of undried
substance.		Nutritive
equivalent.		Relative
proportion
of
nitrogenized
to non-
nitrogenized
substances.		Nutritive
equivalent.
English Hay,11.01.341.15100-100
Lucerne,16.61.661.38 83--
Red Clover-hay,10.11.701.54 751to 6.0877.9
Red Clover (green),76.0- .64311--
Rye-straw,18.7 .30 .244791to24.405277⁄12
Oat-straw,21.0 .36 .303831to12.504455⁄12
Carrot-leaves (tops),70.92.94 .85135--
Swedish Turnips,91.01.83 .17676--
Mangold Wurzel,----1to 7.263911⁄3
White Silician Beet,85.61.43 .18669--
Carrots,87.62.40 .303821to 7.84542.1
Potatoes,75.91.50 .363191to 9.003305⁄12
Potatoes kept in pits,76.81.18 .30383--
Beans, 7.95.505.11 231to 2.8 345⁄12
Peas, 8.64.203.84 271to 2.14341⁄3
Indian Corn,18.02.001.64 701to 6.55-
Buckwheat,12.52.402.10 551to 6.05935⁄12
Barley,13.22.021.76 651to 4.25-
Oats,12.42.221.92 601to 4.085811⁄12
Rye,11.52.272.00 581to 4.42581⁄16
Wheat,10.52.332.09 551to 2.42385⁄6
Oil-cake (Linseed),13.46.005.20 22--
ARTICLES
OF FOOD.		Practical values, as obtained by
experiments in feeding, according to
Block.Petri.Meyer.Thaër.Pabst.Schwertz.Schweit-
zer.
English Hay,100 100100100100100100
Lucerne,- 90- 90100100-
Red Clover-hay,100  90- 90100100-
Red Clover (green),430 --450425--
Rye-straw,200 500150666350-267
Oat-straw,200 200150190200400200
Carrot-leaves (tops),-------
Swedish Turnips,-300-300250200-
Mangold Wurzel,366 4002504602503333662⁄3
White Silician Beet,-------
Carrots,366 250225300250270300
Potatoes,216 200150200200200200
Potatoes kept in pits,400 ------
Beans, 30  54 50 73 40- 30
Peas, 30  54 48 66 40Boussin-
gault		 30
Indian Corn,- 52--- 59-
Buckwheat,- 64-----
Barley, 33  61 53 76 50- 35
Oats, 39 1⁄2 71- 86 60-371⁄2
Rye, 33  55 51 71 50-331⁄2
Wheat, 27  52 46 64 40- 30
Oil-cake (Linseed), 42 108---- 43

The reader will find no difficulty in making this table of practical value in deciding upon the proper course of feeding to be pursued.

In winter the best food for cows in milk will be good sweet meadow hay, a part of which should be cut and moistened with water, as all inferior hay or straw should be, with an addition of root-crops, such as turnips, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, mangold wurzel, with shorts, oil-cake, Indian-meal, or bean-meal.

It is the opinion of most successful dairymen that the feeding of moist food cannot be too highly recommended for cows in milk, especially to those who desire to obtain the largest quantity. Hay cut and thoroughly moistened becomes more succulent and nutritive, and partakes more of the nature of green grass.

As a substitute for the oil-cake, hitherto known as an exceedingly valuable article for feeding stock, there is probably nothing better than cotton-seed meal, now to be had in large quantities in the market. This is an article whose economic value has been but recently made known, but which, from practical trials already made, has proved eminently successful as food for milch cows. An average specimen of this was submitted for analysis to Professor Johnson, who reported that its composition is not inferior to that of the best flax-seed cake, and that in some respects its agricultural value surpasses that of any other kind of oil-cake, as is shown in the following table, containing in column first the analysis of cotton-seed meal made by himself; in column second, some of the results obtained by Dr. C. T. Jackson on cake prepared by himself from hulled cotton-seed; in column third, an analysis of cotton-seed cake, made by Dr. Anderson, of Edinburgh; in column fourth, the average composition of eight samples of American linseed-cake; and in column fifth, an analysis of meadow hay, obtained by Dr. Wolff in Saxony, given as a means of comparison.