The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1883-02-15
agricultural.


Corn is the great American fodder
crop, just as roots are the great En-
glish feeding crop. Only to have it IS
perfect substitute for roots it mast be
ensiloed.
But it must first be grown, and the
question is how can we grow 1t so as 10
produce the largest yioid and the most
nutritious quality. Much new evidence
has been given in the recent "conyen-
tions" tending TO reduce very much
the exaggerated estimates and guesses
of the first few sanguine ensilagists,
and crops of ten or twelve tons per
acse are now believed to be reasonably
good products from fairly good fields.
But this is not @ profitable yield, nor IS
It anything near possible one. 1t
should be rs easy to grow
twenty-five tons Of green corn here
as it Is to grow the same weight
of roots in England. It will not always
do to depend upon figures, but some
times these may be trusted. And the
following appear to speak the truth be-
yond question: hill of three stalks
ofcorn ten feet high weighs eight pounds.
Such Hill Of corn, grown from Western
seed-Ohio or Illinois dent corn-is
very common. With the hills three feet
apart each way, this would give 1920
pounds to the acre two stalks together,
eighteen inches apart ore way and three
feet the other, and the two weighing
five pounds, would yield Is, 400 pounds.
And this is well-knOwn by many farm
ers who have grown corn in that way
to be quite q possible yield. With such
q crop there would be a large number
of haf-grown ears, and twenty-four
tons Of such fodder, with five to ten per
cent. of grain upon it, (green, of course,
is meant, aud not dry,) would be worth
more for feed than an equal weight of
roots.
The question, In fact as to the possi-
bility Of largely increasing the yield of
corn grown for ensilage, may very well
be decided favorably and nothing needs
be done but to d. II. The next question
l. In regard to the use Of it. And this
point is open to three considerations.
First, is It best TO dry the fodder and
use It dry; second, or to dry the fodder
and cut it up and feed it moist, and
third, or to ens!lage itP These questions
arc best settled by reference to common
farm practice, and not by scientific ex-
periments. A winter feeding in work.
Ing dairy Is worth a thousand expert
Inents in college, and the evidence OF
O sensible, practical farmer upon the
feeding value of fodder is worth far
more than that of scientific expert
menter.
The results so far Of scientific expert
meuts have been the clOuding up, in
stead Of the clearing, Of the questions at
issue for by selecting a certain number
of results given, Of the kind wanted, al
most any desired testimony could be
gathered. 1t has been shown by one
that ensilage Is very valuable, and the
results of feeding it have been far more
profitable than feeding dry fodder; and
again, another Professor has shown the
very contrary. One has proved that
whole corn is the most productive of fat
and flesh in pigs; another that ground
corn is others have stated rs positively
that cooked corn is the best, and so on,
until the farmer, who does not know
his own mind, is reduced to despair. 1t
Is too much to expect unanimitv. "Many
men, many minds" and tho Luman
mind is nothing if not partisan even in
regard to so practical q matter rs the
fattening of pigs or the feeding of cows
in the dairy. And it might be observed
in regard to ensiage, that those who
believe It's value is reduced by the fer
mentation It underg0e3 because alcohol
Is produced, do so on the ground that
alcOhofis not al ailment and is devoid
OF nutriment; and yet there are proofs
that alcohol is food that is, fit is given
In small quantities at regular intervals
the weight Of the body viii be increased.
1t il is not food then it produces the
same result rs food, although it may be
directly absorbed by the blood and I'M
dergoos no process OF digestion. But
fats likewise are not digested, but are
formed into emulsions in the intestines
absorbed directly into the blood, and
fats differ only in the ratio of their
elements from alcohol. Indeed, all the
carbohydrates, as fats, oils, starch,
sugar, alcohol, and acids, are COM
pounds of gases, oxygen, carbon, and
hydrogen IN varying proportions; and
we DO not know, and perhaps never
win know, precisely what chemical
changes the carbohydrates -proximate
and Ultimate in the food undergo in a
COWS stomach.
1t Is the case of digestion which prin-
cipally gives the practical value to a
kind Of food, and in this inquiry good
dea' may be left to- the COW herself. 1t
was She cow who first taught us how TO
grow corn fodder in the proper manner,
because she declined to eat it, except
under protest, whom it was grown very
thictly and broadcast and was white
and devoid of flavor and substance.
And now she Says very plainly that she
prefers oH7aged corn tp dry corn fod-
der, in spite of the chemists who say it
IS not so good as this is because it is
sour and contains alcohol. But the
farmer will be apt to think most of the
cows verdict, especially when she issues
her weekly bulletins giving the actual
analyses of the food as containing 80
much per cent. of milk and cheese and
butter, which, after all, is more TO the
purpose than 50 much carbon or oxy-
gen and hydrogen and ash. And it
certainly seems to be the case that the
cow every time prefers the ensilage,
although she may have TO take u little
alcohol or Tactic acid, or even acetic
acid, In her corn fodder when it is thus
put up. But the owner can not go
back upon the COW, for he lacks vinegar
at times and does not object occasional
" to take ga little alcohol in his'n,"
and moreover believes these are good
for him.. Y. Times.