The Portland daily press., 1879-03-04
AGRICULTURAL.
Value of Cob Meal.

The amount of fat was not accurately deter
mided, but it was proved to be more than
one per cent. The amount of water is
probably smaller than it would have been
had the corn been taken directly from the
grain house, instead OF the warm room in
which 1t had been hanging for some weeks.
The results OF the analysis prove that there is
in corn cobs considerable amount of fat
producing and fesh-forming constituents.
In the sixty per cent of carbohydrates, albu.
minoids, fat, ETC., are found the elements
which have nutritive value, and in order that
we may obtain some idea of its comparative
worth. let us contrast 1t with the dry straw
Of some grains. Wheat straw contains about
80 per cent. of carbohydrates, per cent. Of
albuminoids, and II per cent. of fat; oat
straw 38 per cent. of the first-named sub
stances, 2t of the second, and OF the third /;
rye straw, 27 of the first, IL of the second,
and $40 of the third. 1t is shown that
cobs have higher value than wheat or rye
straw, and they equal in nutritive constituents
the best quality of oat straw. These results
indicate the utility Of feeding them to our
animals, provided there are no objections
arising from bulk and difficulty of reducing
the cob to sufficiently fine powder. They
should be ground as fine as possible, in order
that they may be easy of digestion, and in
order that the nutritive substances may be
fully utilized. There is a positive loss in
feeding out coarsely ground grains of any
kind, and In grinding the cob with the corn
give special attention to the work of commi-
mutton. The corn in the ear should be
thoroughly dry before it is carried to mill,
and there will be less difficulty in reducing it
to fine powder.
Investigation has also shown that a bushel
Of our sound New England corn ground with
the cobs affords equal nutritive value with
the ordinary Southern and Western varieties
of whole corn meal. The variety of corn
grown at my farm, and which has been made
the subject of experiment, has eight rows oil
plump, large kernels with small cob. The
proportion of corn to cob when thoroughly
seasoned is as 10 to 2 by weight, bushel OF
ears weighing 34t lbs. In 100 lbs. of the
cob meal there is SO lbs. of ground kernel
and II lbs. of cob, fve-sixths corn, one sixth
cob.
Probably different results would be reached
by the use of corn with large and heavy
cob and light. Such, in my view, should not
be raised in New England, for it is wasteful
and Improbable farming. The cob, learn
from analysis. is great robber of potash
from our soils, and therefore we must not
produce any more than is possible, If it is to
be regarded as waste product. The ash of
the cob in the analysis of Lakeside Farm
corn was not specially alluded to, only the
percentage was given. In viewing this sub
ject, some curious speculations occur to us.
The average amount found in the ash of cobs
is about u pounds of the carbonate in the
hundred, which is twice as much as is found
in the ash of the willow, the richest of all
woods in potash. II 1t were practicable to
procure and remove the potash from all the
cobs grown in the United States, it would
indeed constitute mountain of this valuable
alkali.-Corr. Boston Transcript.