The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-05-29
A NEW INDUSTRY.
Corn "a Fodder-A Chance for Experiment.
Very ProntabIe Oeona Pas.IhIa

Investigations they have become so
thoroughly impressed with the impor-
tanee and value of corn-fodder that at
their request we publish Mr.. Woles's
communication in full: For the last
three or four years I have wintered, on
an average, 1000 sheep, so head of cattle,
and 20 head of horses with no hay, and
upon no other forage than soWn fodder
corn and grain. Roughly estimating
the sheep to weigh 100 pounds each, and
the horses and cattle at 1000 pounds
each, we would have q total gross weigh
of go, 900 pounds of live stock. As the
Roth harvester experiments of Law &
Gilbert have demonstrated that it
requires about three per cent. of the
live weight of one of these animals in
good timothy hay daily to support in
good condition, it will be seen that the
live stock above mentioned would require
about three and half tons of hay daily
for their support and for the days between
December let and April 1st, 420 tons.
But as oneDfourtA or more of their sup
port was supplied by grain, they really
consumed but about 800 tons of fodder.
The books estimate ton OF the fodder
corn, grown and cured in a manner /
shall describe, as fully equal in value to
ton of the best timothy hay, and as
worth two or three of corn fodder that
has grown crop of grain. This essi-
mate is substantially justified in prac-
tice. Now, as the yield OF thoroughly
dried hay will not exceed one and one
half Tons to the acre on an average, it is
plain that to have produced the quantity
of hay required, l would have had to
cut 30 acres of grass. It Is an uncOm~
monty good crop that yields two tons
per acre At any rate it would hive
required about $50 acres of grass. The
fodder.corn was the product of sixty
acres, and the yield was more than hve
tons of dry fodder per acre, and that in
a dry season. I think It sa e to reckon
that one acre of fodder-corn will produce
as much and as good cattle food as thu lee
or four acres of hay.
HOW To GROW IT.
The ground should be put in good
filth by blowing and narrowing, and the
seed sowed during the first week in
June. have never sowed sweet corn,
but always the common corn of the
country. Repeated experiments have
proved two bushels of shelled corn to the
acre to be the proper amount of seed.
[ SOW with the common wheat drill;
using all the spouts. After sowing,
nothing more can be done for the crop
till the time OF cutting. The growth
will of course vary with the fertility of
the soil. and with the season. Toe
ground should not be too rich, or the
growth will be too coarse and rank.
Land of medium fertility produces the
brightest and sweetest fodder. l have
raised stalks twelve feet in height. The
growth of 1876 averaged about nine
feet that of 1877, which in this part OF
Ohio was q very dry season, about seven
feet. 1t will be seen the growing OF the
crop is a very simple matter. What
bothered me most to learn, and what
was come at only after many trials and
repeated failures, wss the proper time
aud best way of harvesting and curing
the crop. If cut too early it will surely
mold if left too late it becomes hard
and woody, and incurs the risk of trost.
1t should stand till the lower joint turns
to b. light yellow color. This, with US,
is generally about September 1st.
HOW TO HARVEST 1T.
The most formidable task at first was
the cutting. Corn knives, scythes, cr&>
dies and a great variety of mowers and
reaping machines were tried SUGGEST
yelv, only to fail or to be too slow. The
champion selT~Take Tesping machine
made by Whitley, Fassier q Kelly,
Springfield, Ohio, is the only implement
that have found that win do the work
satisfactory, however lodged and tsnt led
the fodder NAV be. The reaper is driven
around the field as in resping wheat.
Eight men can easily follow the ma
chine. They are divided into four
couples, and, of course, the field into
four stations" Each couple is pro-
vided with "horse," or, as it is some>
times called, "grasshopper," which is
simply light rail with two legs near
one end, and a hole near the middle, in
to which loosely fits a movable pin alb ut
four feet long. The man carrying the
"horse' passes by two sheaVes-sets
down on the horse, puts in the pin, and,
gathering the sheat ahead of him, stands
it in one of the angles formed by the pin
and horse. Then he gathers the next
sheaf next ahead of him and stands 1t IN
another of the angles. His aTtner, IN the
meantime, has been doing the same thing
with the two sheaves behind the horse.
So that bv this time we have the four
angles of the horse filed and small
shock built. The leader then withdraws
the pin-draws out his horse and goes
on past the next two sheaves. His
PARTNER draws the top of the shock
neatly together and binds it either with
a band of stalks or, what for saving OF
time I prefer, q yard of wool Irvine.
These small shocks are suffered to stand
about ten days or two weeks. They are
then opened and bound into four shesves
or bundles each, the fodder, which by
this time is partly curved and very
tough, making excellent bands. Twelve
of these sheaves are then formed into
large shock, the tops bound with the
wool Irvine used in the first instance,
and these shocks stand in the field till
wanted for feeding. usually LAY two
and oneshalf cents each for binding
the small shocks, and, as there
are about forty of these to the acre,
the cost OF binding is about one
dollar per acre. I omitted to say that
fair days work in cutting for the eight
men and the driver of the machine Is
eight or nine acres. To see the immense
supply of succulent growth at the time
of cutting-not less than thirty or forty
tons per acre-one would suppose that
the finest and dTies5 weather would be
necessary to secure the crop. It has go
happened that for two years it raiDed
nearly every day while we were cutting,
and for week after. But not hum
dred pounds were spoiled, except where
a chance shock was blown over.
THE ONLY OBJECTION TO THE CROP
is, that it is so rich in sacharine matter
that it can not be housed. A section of
one of the stalks is nearly as sweet as
cane, and, however dry it may appear,
it will heat or ferment in the NOW or
stack. 1t must stand outside doors till
used, but if well shocked it keeps very