The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-03-29
Fodder sCorn-A, Very Valuable Crop.

A'great deal has been written about
fodder.corn in the past two or three years
and all but very young farmers-young
in respect to their farming experience
may care to read nothing further on
the subject-and for one or two reasons :
Either that they have realized the value
of fodder1corn, understand how to pre-
serve it and therefore need no further
suggestion or that TREY have become so
discouraged astheir inability to cure and
preserve it perfectly have, thrown it out
as being altogether Improbable. The
writer came very near to this conclusion
himself two years ago, but thanks to pa
tient perseverance in cultivating it, is far
/ from such now. He tried tin drills at
first and great many stalks grew so
large it required weeks, yes, almost
months to cure it sufficiently to allow of
being preserved in bulk. He lost large
part of the crops of two years and became
almost disgusted thereat. Concluded to
try again and plant in hills instead of
drilling it continuously in the, row.
Laid, off rows.3 feet apart and dropped
10 or IL grains at every feet. The
corn received, 8 cnltiyatings andttwohoe-
ziugs The stalks were Of more uniform
size and became. cured. ina reasonable
time. The stalks ehoyeyer, were still
found tooaarge aud coarse, The stock re-
fusing much of it. This year the writer
thought he would improve on this, 80 he
put 20, :or 25.. grains to the hill and
manurel.witha handful 3lb.) Of cotton
seed {killed) to the hill. The result was
gratifying indeed, the tall slender succu-
lent stalks, curing easily in 10 days of
pretty weather and none rejected by the
stock. An improvement still shall be
made the coming year by checking the
land at q feet so the shoeing can be dis
pensed with, using the cultivator from
first to last, putting 20, to 25 grains of
corn and q handful ofscotton seed to each
hill as before. A number of hills were
weighed when the corn was in bloom and
found to- average from W toll pounds
green. a ton Of the green fodder will
yield about74OO pounds of cured fodder.
In checking at 2 feet, if the lOS9O hills
yield Z lbs. (the smallest average stated
above) the result would be 76, 1000 pounds
of green fodder, equal to $1,000 lbs.
cured, or ~ tons. By using 70 to 80
bushels cotton seed, this result can be OBJ
tanned on land that will produce natural
lys5 to 8 bundled pounds of seed cotton.
If planted in April, it is ready for cutting
in July 1st,- and second, crop Of same
canbe putin August LIST, or the land can
be sown to peas, to be. turned under. for
winter oats; The nearer to the barnsit is
planted the better. /,
1:'.j CUTTING AND CURING.
LAS soon as the corn is we'll in bloom
cutit, using a thin, broad hatchet-a tool
something like shingle cutters use-any
blacksmith can make one in few min
utes. Grasp each hill under the arm and
bend over and then with one blow. cut
every stalk, spreading as it falls on the
stubble. Let it lea couple of days, then
turn it over and expose o day or two
then shock it carefully q hands required)
and let it remain 10t 20 days, when it
should be housed, stacked or put into
large pens, made of pine poles. 1fplank
are not at hand to cover the pens with,
it may be covered with pine straw, max
ing pointed top; stop up cracks, also,
with straw to keep out beating rains.-
Ventilate from beneath. A large guam
tity may be safely put away in barn by
standing on ends and packing closely:
s. A. G.
Jf;l2edueviIle, Ga, :.