American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-10-11
Cutting Up and Feeding Corn.

TAKING it for granted that the most
profitable way of marketing corn is to
feed it to hogs; also, as bringing the
quickest return when fed to stock, yet
horses, cattle, mules, and sheep must be
provided for, and l have no doubt the best
mode of feeding them corn is to cut it up
in the fall, putting it into shocks, and then
cutting it up with feed cutter-corn and
all
l commence cutting up the corn as soon
as it is too hard for roasting ears, making
the shocks contain twelve hills square
When first commencing cutting, cut about
one-half the shock, tie it, and let it cure a
few days before cutting the other half of
the shock. See that the stalk is well set
up, little bracing, and well tied, to keep
it from falling down. 1 have continued
cutting up until November, but think the
earliest cut best, and have always observed
that when cut just at the right time, when
you go to use it the shock opens out,
nicely cured, and the blades bright green
color, looking good enough to eat.
Now, many farmers shuck out the corn,
taking down the shock, stand up the fod-
der again, and tie it. 1t has to be handled
when fed out to the stock. Whenever l
see a farmer doing this, l know he is pay
ing "dear for his whistle" l think this
plan the poorest pay of any work 1 have
even seen done on farm.
Many farmers, in feeding cattle, haul
out the shocks, corn and all, and scatter
it on the ground, the cattle kicking it
| over, taking the best of it, followed by
hogs. This practice is wasteful but when
corn is very abundant and cheap, 1t will
do. But l want my brother farmers to
try better plan; if they have not already
got one, build good barn; get an endless
chain horse power which takes up but
| little room also, power feed cutter of
the best in the market; haul in as much
corn fodder as you can store in the barn.
With three hands, including myself--one
| to lay the fodder on a table, one to feed
| and one to scoop it away from cutter,
can cut 500 bushels of feed in half day,
| corn fodder and all. l cut my feed 5sths
| of an inch Lonesome cut shorter and
| some longer. | thus have hill of feed
| that it will do one good to look at, a-d
| that stock will eat with avidity and grow
| fat on it. / have been feeding corn fod-
| der thus prepared for two years to horses,
mules and cattle, including fattening
| steers, mich cows and calves; and while
| l cannot give you definite results, l can
say it is more satisfactory to me than any
other feeding have ever done. When l
see horses, mules and cattle turning up
their noses at well cured clover hay and
| eating this feed with such satisfaction
consuming all of it but some litter of the
stalks, l know it must be very palatable
Mules eat it all clean. l throw small
| quantity of bran, shorts or corn meal on
the cut feed, mix with water, with u small
quantity of salt dissolved in it.
| 1t live through the coming winter, l
| hope to be prepared to give you definite
results, but, for the present, will say |
think it will pay any person to fix them
| selves to feed, as | have described, who
| will have as much as ten acres or more OF
cut up corn to feed. With corn fodder
| thus prepared, there is scarcely any waste
and very little handling You can cut
up your feed, however Indictment the
| weather.
When there is snow on the ground is a
convenient time to haul in considerable
quantity of corn, and it makes the work
Zig ter. Whoever adopts this plan of
| feeding will be surprised at the small
amount of hay their stock will consume,
| although at all times accessible to them
also, how much more stock a given num-
Der of acres of corn fodder will keep in
good condition. l take it for granted
every farmer will provide sufficient shell
ter for all his stock; if he has not, he lad
better set off until he can shelter all.-E.
4. Olleman, IN Rural Neao Yorker.