Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-10-22
Dry, Green and En.iI~ged Corn Fodder.

The value Of corn stalks us food for cattle
is universally reckoned high by all eastern
farmers. At the West they are not consider
ed worth saving, though stock are often turn
ed into the corn-helds to eat what they will
after the ears have been gathered. The only
eastern man Of prominence who has talked
against corn fodder is DR.. Loring president
of the New England agricultural society, and
even he is willing to admit difference be-
tween corn-fodder and fodder. corn, meaning
by the first the stalks or ''stover" of field
corn after removing the ears and by the
ond corn grown thickly on purpose for feed
ing either green or dry. This last he admits
to be valuable, though he thinks even that is
over-estimated. On the other hand, that 9TH
er medical farmer, DIR. Sturtevant lately edi
tor of the Scientific Farmer, reckons his "sto-
yer" at two-thirds in value of the price of
good hay, and he raises large fields of corn
partly with the view of using the dry stalks
for cow-feed, and selling his hay.
Though we have grown and fed both corn
fodder and fodder-corn for many years, yet
we never tried feeding it alone to milk cows
until the present senson. We confess that we
have been disappointed with it. Until our
early sweet corn was in the milk, we soiled
our cows upon grass cut upon Amasa SCOTS
plan-before the stem appeared-and with
excellent results. We had one half acre of
sweet corn growing in alternate rows with
newy-set strawberries, as a shade to the
young plants In August we began cutting
this and taking about half the best ears for
the pig, giving all the rest to the cows. The
decline in the quantity aud quality of the
milk was immediate and marked. An allow
ance of quart of meal additional per day
did not bring either quantity or quality back
to the standard of grass. Lately the sweet
corn being exhausted, we have been feeding
Sanford corn, which is much better liked by
the cows, and, probably as a consequence, is
producing more milk. We should not have
believed Sanford corn to be so much better
than sweet corn had we not seen how much
better it is eaten. Yet even the Sanford is
inferior to grass.
Cured corn-fodder, if well cured, with the
corn that grew on it ground and fed with it,
has always proved with us so nearly equal to
fair average hay that we could not notice
difference but when fed alone it makes very
white butter that is hard to churn. Nicely
cured corn-fodder, not grown so thick but
there are good many nubbins ON it, is better,
in our experience, than average hay for butter
production.
We have never, however, been able to get
any con-fodder of so good kind, or so per-
fectly cured that less than 20 per cent. of the
total weight was rejected by cows. This re-
jected portion, consisting of the butts of
stalks, is not total loss, as horses will eat a
good deal of what the cows leave. We do not
believe that it could be made profitable to
force cows i'll milk to eat up the best corn
fodder, or fodder-cor perfectly clean. No
| doubt they could be starved into it, but where
is your milk in that case You won't find
much of it in the pail.
| Here, if anywhere, comes in the main pro-
fit of ensilage. The fermentation of ensilage,
according to the chemists, makes about four
| per cent. more Of the fodder corn digestible
| than in the raw state. Add this to the twenty
per cent usually left by the COWS, il not forced
to eat it, and We have gain of one fourth in
the feeding value of ensilage over perfectly
cured corn. fodder. When we consider the
difhculty-Gnd we may say, in some seasons,
the impossiblity-Of 30 perfectly curing corn
fodder that it will not mould, We think it
would be fair to say that the gain of ensilage
| las to feeding value) over cured fodder corn
can hardly be, on an average, less than one
| third.
| II corn fodder could be preserved by ensil-
| age without the production Of alcohol or vine
| gar in the mass, there seems no reason to
doubt that its use would prove of vast benefit
TO dairy farmers. To increase the feeding
| value of fodder-co one-third, as we have no
doubt is the case when ensilaged, is to put it
about on an equality with the best hay cut in
| the uloS5ohl' Nheu WIN huch euhllhSe a
mixture of bran or oatmeal is fed to milch
COWS in winter, We should expect the milk
and butter yield to be quite satisfactory. But
the effect of sour and alcoholic ensilage upon
the teeth and stomachs of COWS would we
greatly fear, soon prove 30 injurious that the
loss in the end would be greater than the
gain. 1t is not impossible that chemistry
may be able to give us some cheap and harm
less substances, which, sprinkled upon the
ensilage, viii prevent these harmful fermen-
tative processes, and give US a perfectly sweet
ensilage. If this result can be reached, we
should expect to see the use of ensilage be-
come general ON our dairy farms.-T. II. Hos.
kiRs IN Montpelier WdtchmGn.