The semi-weekly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1879-1882, 1881-10-06
FARM NOTES


article on the feeding value of corn
fodder in comparison with hay.
There is no nicely Of experiment and
comparison, but trial under fair
circumstances in ordinary feeding Of
dairy cows. The article in question
concludes as follows: eff it be fact
and there appears to be The best of
evidence to prove that it is, that corn
fodder Ordinary dry fodder after it
is husked) is equal to English hay,
ton tor ton, then the corn crop not
only becomes an important but also
very profitable one; for il fifty bush
els OF corn and two tons of fodder,
equal to English hay, can be grown
on single acre of ground, it is worth
much more than it will cost. Corn
fodder proves to be not only good,
healthy food for milch COWS, but it
produces better than the very best
hay"
While we are willing to believe
there is much truth In this statement
it can scarcely be accepted as entirely
true for our neighborhood. Our
farmers have long known the practi-
cal value Of good cornfodder, and
have used it to the exclusion of hay
as forage for cows-not because
they considered it of equal value, or
Of superior value to the best hay, but
because the results were entirely sat-
isfactory and the hay was turned
into money crop and sold in Phila-
delphia. Hay has for at least twenty
years ranked about third among our
money crops, but this would of course
have been impossible if we could not
have substituted csrnlodder for hay
As the forage ration for our COWS,
colts, young cattle and sheep. For
horses there is no better forage than
good corn fodder; but we have not
as q rule, arrived at point where it
is substituted for hay in feeding
working and driving horses. The
horses eat only the blades and husk,
leaving the stalks in the rack to be
removed. They are unhandy to
manipulate, and hence the horses are
fed hay in preference to fodder, more
ss matter Of convenience, however,
than because hay is better feed.
The difficulty is overcome in the case
Of the COWS, when the fodder is
cut up in . machine and fed in
mess.
The nutfitive ratio of cornfodder 10
] to ID, while that Of good hay is
to s, and Of the best meadow hay ! |
to s, which Ia very near a perfect
food. We therefore demur to the |
estimate Of the Plowman, that corn.
fodder is equal TO the best hay as
forage food for milk COWS. But that
fodder ID good food and can be
substituted for hay in the ration of
the dairy COW nobody in Bucks
county will be likely to question
We have always held and taught that
the corn crop with US 10 king, and
the practice Of our best farmers 10 10
the same direction From year to
year the corn crop 10 assuming more
important place in our system of farm
crops, because it is feed and forage
both. Our best farmers apply the
bulk Of the manure to the corn crop.
and with good reason IL 10 the most
profitable crop we can raise Corn
raising here is quite different thing
from what it is New England. Our
soil and climate are both better adapt.
cd to Il, and we can grow corn for
about half what u costs to produce it.
In Massachusetts,, or elsewhere in
New England. If therefore, the case
l. as put in the article above quoted,
viz, livery profitable" to raise corn
In New England where fifty bushels
per acre is large crop, 1t Is csrres
more profitable for US to
raise corn where more than figty
bushels Of corn and two tons Of fod.
der can be grown to the acre. Indian
corn Is the most important crop pro-
duced in the United States. Cotton
used to be aking," out whatever il
may have been before the war, it ia /
king no longer, corn having outss.rip- |
pad 1t In whatever constitutes Intrinsic |
value. Corn does not fgpfe so con.
spicuously in commerce as cotton or
wheat, but the products based upon
corn, as pork, beef, butter, cheese,
poultry, whisky, glucose, leniny,
snd the other articles, sweIls the
voIur.e Of its value immensely beyond
ev.ner wheat or cotton, or even of
both together. Corn is king, what
ever the political economist may say.
= Bucks County IateVigencer.
Wheat is more valuable cut at