The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-02-22

shock neatly together, and ties them
with wool Irvine, draws out the cross
pin. and is ready for another shock.
For the eight followers, the team, driv-
ers, and machine, eight acres is a fair
days work. The stalks themselves
may be used for tying the tops, but
Irvine is found to be sufficiently more
expeditions to compensate for the cost,
After standing ten to fifteen days, till
the fodder is nearly cured, and is in a
tough state,. the shocks are taken
down, and each tied into four or five
sheaves or bundles, the stalks them
selves, in this condition, making ex.
cellent bands, and twelve or more
bundles made into large shock, tho
tops being secured either with fodder
bands, or with the Irvine used in the
first instance. The shocks stand in
the field till they are wanted for use.
just here comes in the most serious
objection to the feeding of fodder
corn. There are times in the winter
weather and roads are bad, when a
deeply'plowed corn-Aeld is anything
but an agreeable road-bed for the
hauling of heavy loads when the fod-
der itself is VICTOR covered with sleet,
ice, or snow, or its lower end perhaps
tightly glued to the ground by frost.
But the fodder is so charged with sac.
charine matter however dry it may be,
there is danger that if stored in bulk
in NOW, OF even in stacks, it will
ferment heat and spoil. At such times
it is well to have other feed under cover
to depend upon.
An experience covering three years,
and the growth of over 700 tons OF
fodder, seems to warrant the following
conclusions:
l. The fodder grows from five to
twelve feet in height, and averages
from seven to nine feet, depending on
soils and seasons.
=. Fodder grown on land of good
average fertility stands better, and
makes better feed than on soil toe
rich, where the growth is too tall rank
and coarse.
3. The proper time for cutting is
before frost, of course, and when tho
lower six or eight inches of the stalk
assumes yellowish tinge. tits then
ripe. If cut sooner, there is danger
Of its moulding in the shock if later
the fibre is more woody, and there i:
risk of frost.
4. 1t is vastly less dependent upo,
the weather for it's curing than hay
The idea that fine weather is absolute
ly necessary for its curing, and tn
fear that a little rain would spoil all
was expressed by others, and felt b,
myself at first, but turned out to be
"bug-aboo." During the cutting AM
curing of the two largest crops, yer,
rainy weather was encountered; We
not one-6fth of per cent of the fodde,
that stood in the shock, and was KEEP
from lying on the ground, nodded
After it is well secured in the small
shocks, neither rain nor frost seems t.
damage it; as indeed they do not us
ually do the large fodder that has ma
tured corn.
5, A ton Of bright fodder-corn i!
worth more than three tons of corr
! fodder that has matured grain, and a.
much as an equal weight of good hay
6, An average crop of fodder.cor1
on good land is six tons per acre.
7, 1t may be grown at cost, no
including interest on price of land, no.
expense of carrying from the field t.
the barn,-including expense of pre-
pairing the ground, seed, sowing, cut.
ting, binding, and shocking, of abou,
$1.30 per to-.