STRAW. The value of straw iu the economy of the farm, will depeud upon a variety of cir cumstances, as nearness to a market, where it may be sold for bedding, packing, the stuffing of articles of use, filling mattresses and the vari ous uses to be found for it in and near large cities. The burning of straw as practiced in all new settlements should never be allowed, at least, not after stock can be procured. Then it may be liberally thrown about the yards to be trampled down and thus converted into manure. As a rule, one ton of straw will make three tons of manure. It is true, the want of manure is not seriously felt in countries where the soil is virgin, yet, the time will come when it will be felt, and the farmer who saves and applies his manure, finds himself still with a soil rich in all the ele ments of plant growth, when his more indolent neighbor is lamenting that his farm is run out. As a feeding material, wheat straw dried at 212 degrees, contains in 100 parts 2.05 muscle form. ing substances, and 35.06 of heat producing substances. The first representing nitrogenous matter; the second, carbon in a state for assimilation ; the balance, is woody fiber 56.87, and mineral substances 6.02. Yet straw alone will never support the life of an animal during the winter season, yet, if properly saved, and fed in connection with grain and hay, it is a most valuable adjunct thereto. In seasons of a scarcity of hay or where hay is wanted for sale, and corn is cheap, horses, cattle and mules, may be brought through the winter in admirable condition on straw fed in connection with corn. As illustrat ing this we quote a statement of a farmer in New York, in feeding wheat straw to cows in con nection with wheat hran and corn'meal. Com mencing the middle of December, his cows being. then in fine condition, and drying off, he fed six quarts of wheat bran daily, with all the straw the animals would eat, giving two meals per day and continuiug this treatment six weeks. A I ter
wards he changed the bran feed to corn meal and, bran, one measure of the former to two of the latter giving four quarts of the mixture daily. This grain feed was gradually increased toward calving, and a small allowance of hay was given in the morning after the straw and before the grain feed. Under this treatment the animals main-' tained a good appetite and were kept in thriving condition. The experiment is quoted as an illustration of the advantages which would result from a judicious use of good bright wheat straw in times of high prices of hay Though the experiment was confined to cows not in milk, he considers it as pointing to the more limited availability of straw in winter feeding of cows in milk and beef cattle. With these classes of stock more grain should he given. And with any de scription of stock there should be proper discern ination in management--feeding the straw chiefly in early winter, and from time to time making some variations in the food given. We have wintered work horses and mules almost entirely on straw and grain without any apparent diminution of their working powers, neverthe les-1, except in times of scarcity, should not ad vise more than half a ration of straw a day. To return to straw as manure, very few farmers are liheral in the use of straw for bedding. It is poor economy, with straw as plenty as it is, to allow any of the farm animals less than will completely soak up all the urine. Even when bedding is scarce, it takes no more straw to furnish a liberal bed than half enough. since none of the straw need be thrown away except that which becomes soiled, and even in this case it may be dried and used again.