Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-09-26
AGRICULTURAL.
TOPPING CORN AND C0RNF0DDFR.

TOPPING CORN AND NDC0RNFODDFR.
We are in little danger Of over estimating
the value of wellcured, or only tolerably
well-cured, corn-fodder. As feed for mich
COWS it is hardly surpassed byyery good up
land hay, and has to encounter only one
serious drawback, namely: 1t must be cut
up fine, salted and wet up with a little meal
bran, or oil cake Of some sort, in order to get
the full benefit. The necessity of spending
so much labor upon it detracts from its value
so that while in New England farmer may
perhaps afford to pay two-thirds what he
would have to pay for hay, at the West,
where fair hay may be had for the cutting
and hauling, its value is less In proportion.
St;n, fed whole, it is highly relished by all
kinds of fstock, and constitutes the chief lv-
ing of the young stock in winter over large
portion of the Northern States. At the
West the great corn-felds, upon which stalks
are left standing after the ears are picked,
afford winter feed, poor and weathered
though it is, which helps many a herd
through that might perish otherwise in the
hard winters.
When the corn-stalks are very large, it is
hardly worth while to attempt to cure hebig
butts and cut them up for fodder. There is
probably small gain in the weight of the
grain, if after the kernels glaze well the corn
be cut up at the ground, rather than topped
above the ears. Yet where the great dent
corn is planted, we incline decidedly to the
opinion that there is decided advantage
gained when it is topped, and the tops and
suckers fearless sidestalks) are well cured.
The practice at the South of breaking out
the suckers together with the lower leaves Of
the corn, while yet it is green and the ears
not glazed. certainly affords very excellent
fodder, and, if enough of thestrong growing
suckers, which would make good male flow
ers, be allowed to stand to fertilize the tips
oftheears, itisprobably economical Where
the small kinds of corn are grown as through
out Canada, New England, and New York,
we regard it as poor policy and loss of
fodder to top corn for the sake of getting a
kind of fodder which the cattle will eat up
clean if not chaffed. Witha little pains and
labor, but very small portion of the stalks
are refused by the stock.
DIR. R., of Hartford Co., Conn, had
cornstalk stack accidently put up too green,
Tor perhaps, it got thoroughly rain soaked,
so that it heated, and the interior came into
a condition ofyery active fermentation The
result was, that he thought it mostly ruined,
and as soon as he could, threw off the unhurt
portions to save them, and thus opened
what appeared to be mass of corruption
beneath. The butts were the only parts
which retained their form, all the rest was
brownish or black mass, smelling, however
not unpleasantly. The cows showed their
preference as once by rejecting the sound
stalks, and eating the others, the softened
ones, with great gusto. The fermentation
had proceeded justso far as to form the fa
nous brown ha,' the stalks being soft,
sweet and faversome. The Doctor has, we
believe, repeated the operation with sue
cess