Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-10-02
GRINDING CORN IN THE EAR.

your SuDSCrlpcrS, give any Information on the
additional value that would be conferred by
grinding the cobs with the corn for feeding
animals and if any, what kind of mill
would be the best for grinding A Conn
GROWER"
Some experiments have been made in this
country to test the value Of the cob when
ground with corn, as an article of food, and
we believe they have uniformly proved sue
cessful but the difficulty of fixtures for grim
ding, and the little attention usually paid in
this country to savings of this kind, has had
the effect to prevent the attention of farmers
from being much directed to this mode of pre-
pairing food for anmals.-Thata great saving
would be made in feeding corn meal, by grim
ding the cob with the grain, might be reaso-
nably inferred from the fact that when corn
meal is fed to horses, it requires to be mixed
with some coarser food, such as cut straw or
hay and that so mixed, smaller quantity
causes the animal to thrive better, and per-
form work as well as a larger quantity with
out such mixture would. Pure corn meal
does not appear to sufficiently distend the
stomach TO bring into exercise its digestive
faculties fully, without taking so much as to
clog that organ and impair its functions even
tually. For this reason, mixture of less
nutritivc materials is desirable and ono of
our most successful feeders of pork has assur-
ed us, that he always mixed oats with his
corn, in the proportion of one-four,h, pre-
vous to grinding, and thinks he should find
profit in exchanging corn for oats, bushel
for bushel, rather than feed the former to his
pigs clear. 1t appears, from recorded ex-
perimcnts, that the cob, though doubtless
possessing no inconsiderable portion of nu-
triment in itself, makes about the requisite
mixture with the grain, and hence is of great
value for the purpose of feeding.
In the N. E. Farmer, for 1925, may be
found communication from the Rev. H. C..
Perlcy, giving the history of some expert
ments made by him in tccding with corn and
cob meal. Mr.. Pcrlcy broke his corn and
cobs together by pounding, and the mixture
was then ground in common corn mlls,oncs.
"Meal made of this composition, l scalded
and made about as thick as common hastv
pudding; or mixed about one peck of meal
with three pecks of boiled potatoes, thckcn-
ed to the consistency ofpudding. With this
kind oftood and what wash was made in the
family, l constantly fed my swine there
we're none in the neighborhood grew so fast,
or were fit to kill so early in the autumn.
The neighbors were surprised that my hogs
looked so white and grew so we'll, being fed
as they were, with cob meal, potatoes, and
the wash of four cows. Some ridiculed the
notion others disputed and disbeleved the
account; but finally all were obliged to be-
icve the fact, though reluctant to repeat the
experiment. I am this year using the same
discovery and process of the cob meal, and
can show better swine than any of my neigh
bors can produce of the same age.' Mr..
Perley had one batch of bread made of this
mixed meal, combined with rye flour in the
usual proportions, and found it as light, moist
sweet and palatable, as that made from pure
corn meal.
According to DR.. Measc, the practice of
grinding corn with the cob, is common among
the German inhabitants of PENNSYLVANIA.
They consider the practice as a great impro-
vemcnt IN the feeding of corn, and many of
their mills have an apparatus for grinding.
DR.. Measc adds, that "corn meal alone is
too nourishing or heating, and 1t is therefore,
by those who use it, mixed with portion of
cut straw, and coarsely ground rye or shorts,
and in this state constitutes the daily food of
that fine body of draught horses that do so
much credit to our carriers and draymen of
Philadcl phia, and the industrious farmers of
the state at large"
| That the cob OF corn contains considerable
nourishment in itself, is very probable in
deed, instances are on record, in which poor
people, in times Of a scarcity Of food for ami
mails, have converted them to good use
by pounding and boiling them, and feeding
them out with small quantity of cut corn
leaves or straw. On such food cattle have
for some time subsisted, and even seemed to
be in good heart, if not to thrive.
In the Mass. Agric. Repos. for 1923, is
communication from Mr.. Rice, of Shrews-
bury, on the subject OF feeding cattle, which
constituted part OF his business, in the course
of which he gives an account Of one Of his
experiments in using cob meal.
"The second year, if 1 mistake not, in
which made use of cob meal thought /
would try an experiment by feeding one OK
with corn and oats ground, the other with
corn and cObs, having yoke of oxen so
even matched, hatno one who viewed them
was satisfied which was best, accordingly
fed them as above. The cob is computed to
make little more than one third, therefore
l mixed the other with one-third oats as was
my former mode. gave each OK an equal
quantity at time, except the one which had
corn and oats sometimes became dainty, and
would not eat his allowance, while the other
kept regular course. The allowance for
both was little over three pecks per day.
When taken to market and killed, they
weighed twenty-eight hundred and half;
the one fed on corn and oats weighing halfa
hundred the most, while the one fed on corn
and cob meal was considered half dollar
per cwt. the best beef. The one fed on corn
and cobs had l63 lbs. of tallow, the other
log lbs.
From this, and other experiments, it would
seem that cobs ground with corn, add to its
value for the purposes of feeding, nearly or
quite as much as would the same quantity of
oats. lfsuch is the case, there can he little
room for doubt as to the proprioty of making
the practice of grinding the cob with the corn