Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-03-02

The stalks We're cut and hot still slops pour
ed upon them, and then fed He wintered
his cows in this manner, and always had
good flow of milk, and his cows kept in high
condition. | became satisfied that to make
the stalks of increased value to the cattle,
some method must be devised to moisten
the stalks before feeding, as by that means
mastication would be considerably facilita-
ted, and thus their value for feed would be
enhanced Acting upon the ideas thus sug-
gested and having some twenty-five acres
of corn fodder and considerable straw, and
only small quantity ofhay-rather a large
stock of animals, some forty head of cattle
and seven horses-I prepared vats in the
basement of one of my barns, into which
the cut feed falls from the cutter. | found
that the cattle averaged about three bush
els Of feed per day the watts therefore held
enough for twenty-four hours feeding, and
an extra feed, or four feeds. When we be-
gan to feed from one vat the other is filed
by wetting down every few baskets full of
dry feed, and forking it to the opposite end,
Before commencing to wet down, barrel
filled with water and salt added to make it
slightly brackish, and sometime more than
barrel of water is used upon the vat of
cut feed, and entirely absorbed In few
hours fermentation commences, and before
we begin feeding from the vat the feed has
| become smoking hot Thus far the cattle
eat it with great avidity, and seem to
! thrive at any rate the cows which are in
milk do not decrease the daily flow. The
stalks are cut with about one-third their
/ bulk of bright wheat straw, cut when the
wheat was we'll out of the milk, but the
berry not hard. | use a power cutter,
which is capable of making about 5000
bushels of cut feed in three hours, the time
we usually spend at the work. We usually
keep about two days supply of stalks, un-
cut, or enough for 5000 bushels, on hand in
the barn, in case of bad weather, but other
wise draw from the field as wanted, having
found that the best way of keeping stalks.
The straw is not saved under cover. The
length of cut is about three-quarters of an
! inch. A few of the coarsest butts are left
by the cattle, and a still smaller number by
! the horses. The waste is not as much as
with good timothy or clover hay. In my
practice the fodder from an acre of corn is
worth all that it costs to make the crop.
This leads to the question how much
winter forage can be grown upon an acre
by means of cornstalks? l have not yet
made any experiments upon this subject
which might be considered as conclusive,
except in fall feeding from the grown stalks.
The product of a square yard of green stalks
from western corn, either sown broadcast
or in drills, will considerably more than fur
nish food for horse for "a hours | usually
commence feeding when the green stalks
are about four feet high. | am satisfied,
however, that the stalks grown upon a
square yard will furnish fodder for cow OF
OK for "a hours, and all that they can eat.
There are about 200 days foddering for
our animals. An acre contains 4, 4,4S0 square
yards, or will contain, if fairly cultivated,
the necessary fodder for twenty-five ami
mails the usual number of days If the
corn be drilled in early, and not too thick,
say at the rate Of p bushels to the acre,
there will be small ears enough perfected
to supply all the grain necessary to keep
those animals in good store condition. But
as | may err, and it is better to do so on
the safe side, let US double the quantity,
say two square yards-and any person who
will measure off 3 feet by feet will readi-
ly concede that it no very large yield to
say three bushels of chopped stalks will be
produced from that space. We then have
food for eleven head
1t must be understood that it is only by
feeding cut feed that | claim such results
can be achieved.
/ would like to have this subject pretty
thoroughly ventilated this winter, for |
thing it a very important one p. Dorien,
".