The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-09-01
Corn, -FOdder--fts value--Time
sg.y. - boa to cut Il. h.,,r,-- -....s


Hay, in Dubuque, has sold readily
during several weeks past, for fifteen
to twenty dollars per ton.g Well cured
timothy and clover; mixed, direct from
the meadow, has commanded The high
est figures. The crop in this vniticiy,
owing to the severe drouth Of seven
weeks continuance, from the fore part of
May has been less than the average of
fssmeri years, and although the late
NOW, and improperly, cured may com
mand oniy4a lessened price at the pre-
sent, yetfthere is1fttle doubt but that
when the crop is well and securely
stacked. its relative value, while bad
roads and uncertain winter are before
our farmers, will oause the prices Of
hay to run still higher. It. therefore,
becomes the interest, and duty too, of
every one, who possesses animals to
be provided for, to look about them for
all the substitutes for hay that can be
obtained y And what can be found
better than early cut and well stocked
corn fodder. Good Judges have ,esti-
mAteds IN acre of earn fodder of aver
age yield, to be fully equal for cattle
feeding, and far better for milch cows,
than an average acre of hay But it is
an undeniable fact, that the number of
farmers in the Northwest who believe
this truth and act accordingly, are COM
paratively few. The experience Of very
many has been only with. corn stalks
cut after the frosts had nearly destroy
ed them before they,swere cut and
stacked. i SD tacr s514 .!s1 siss.l
The practice of cutting the stalks
about the ears il now nearly obsolete
among Che NEST intelligent farmers,
for it IS found that the corn crops is
made to weigh much less by being
deprived of its lung, at a tima when
they are SO important, By cutting off
at the ground at the same time, the
leaves are not separated from the corn,
and the work Of ripenings is hastened,
instead of being thereby retarded !;
while the LABOR of cutting and stacking
is about equal in either case. su ssy
rsyo baatriME To CUT IrP coRy.s sysf
Careful experiments have demonstra-
ted the fact tRSt unfrosted' corn, cut
up and stacked as soon as out of the
milk !" bor = glazed" win be sounder,
and weigh more, than were it left to
'ripen entirely upon the hill and take
theschances of the season. rla
The right time, therefore, to cut up
and shock our corn, is ten days to two
weeks earlier than il is usually DONE
Those who have never tried the early
cutting win scarcely believe these state
mentss or "their, own eyes . either
when witnessing the results, were they
once to try the experiment. gauAsa
We even fear that the best time for
cutting will be upon us before this will
reach many, of our readers. But we
advise all that possibly can do so, to
take time to trim their corn too !" by
thesfore-topsn and save all the excellent
corn stalk feed they cano Many towns
man who has his cows winter feeding
yet unprocured, could easily obtain it
Of adjacent farmers, by agreeing to cut
stocks, and in due time 1husk out the
corn taking the fodder for his reward.
When its true value is known and ap-
preciated, load of early cut corn fod-
der will sell in our cities and towns as
quickly as load of hay, and the con-
veniences for feeding it will be as
promptly provided. q y 90 aa
We have found a common hoe, made
sharp, with an axehelve shaped handle,
only twenty inches long, to be equal to
. piece Of scythe for cutting corn, as it
is easy to cut close to the ground, there
by saving the farmer and the field from
the Inconvenience Of long stumps. The
necessary roots of themselves are quite
.suficient. ,rd .sggf dsi
The Great DrOght.
W. There has probably been no drought
in the Last quarter Of century, that
has extended over q greater section of