The Iola register., 1884-01-04
PaSturing COrn.Sta'kS.

NhlCu iOpc W piopcily dbS"Oi'
In the great corn-producing localities
it is the common practice To turn the
farm stock, hogs, cattle and sheep into
the field as soon as the corn is gathered
to pasture the stalks. This has been
The well-nigh universal practice for so
long time that it may appear to be
bordering on impertinence to question
its wisdom. But errors would never be
exposed or truths firmly established
were it not for the war Of pens, and 1
shall bcg leave to answer the question
have propounded in the negative.
However. am not Intending to 90
the length of saying that all corn
should lie cut for fodder. | am not
going to argue that it does not pay to
pasture stalks because it would pay
much better TO cut thn fodder and feed
it. Yet this is i good argument in the
abstract More food i got from one
acre shocked than from three left stand
ing till midwintrr. But in the great
corn-producin@ regions stover is so
abundant that it may not be cool poi
icv TO cut all the corn. There would be
supply Of fodder greater than the de-
mand, if this were done. Consumption
for it couid not be found. Beyond a
certain limit the cost of harvesting the
fodder would exceed it, value: that is,
if so much of il were harvested the sur
plus for which no market could be
found would reduce the price of all to
less than the cost ot cutting. | shall
not say that it does not pay TO pasture
stalks because the farmer should cut
and stock them. Yet | am pretty GER
tain that he would find it profitable TO
cut more for fodder than what he does.
Nor shall | found my negative upon
the occasional injury resulting 10 cattle
from eating stalks. This injury not in
frequently amounts to death. But
these are exceptional circumstances.
They are not likely to influence those
who have not felt their bitter force. !
prefer to found my answer upon broader
grounds. My reasons must be SO gen
eral that each reader will feel their
force alike.
Let us first see what is gained by
pasturing stalks. and then what is lost
In this way. and this only, can we az
rive N safe and legitimate conclusion.
Prof. j. w. Sanborn, now of the Mis-
souri, Agricultural College. and one OF
the most practical and reliable of scicn-
titc Investigators, SAYS that ton OF
corn fodder rightly cured and saved Is
worth .wo-thirds Of aeton OF the best
timothy hay. Those who have COM
pared the feeding value of the two in
practical eNper.men 5, the most reliable
mode by winch 10 arrive 1T cOncIu-
sion. will very nearly agree with him.
An acre of fairly heavy corn will pro-
duCe two tons OF fodder, equal in value
to one and one-third tons of the best
hav. Ii might be thought that the
farmer gained this much by pasturIng
the stalks; but in reality he gains much
less. The most palatable and nutritious
part of the Stover, and hence the most
valuable part. is the blades. But these
are mostly lost before the cattle have
an opportunity TO eat them. Of course
the standing stalks can not be paStured
dntil the ears are gathered; and in the
latitude of the great producing
States this is rarely accomplished be-
fore the first of December. There have
been frostS. hard ones. Il month before
this. These deadcn the blades. and
their hold upon the stalks soon becomes
weak and precarious. Then there are
the fall rains and the cvcr-pre>cnt
prairie Zcphyrs TO beat and pull them
loose and cast them upon the ground
where they are lost to the cattle. 1t il
safe to ,av that threc-fourthS of this
most valuable part of the stalk is lost
By the time the cattle are turned into
the field.
The remaining parts are the stalk
proper and the husks. The former,
down to the tasScl rOint has. in m:l-
ior:ty of cases. followed the blades. and
that left contains ve"y little nutrlment.
and Of It the cattle will eat VERY little:
VIII L. the huS,:s are dry and indigeSti
blr Md 10th stock and huSk have
been greatly damaged by the weather.
and rendered less palatal'lc, less diSgeSt-
ible. less nutritious and less wholesome.
know that in some parts of illinois. at
Least. the pasturage OI au acre of stalks
can be purchased for from twenty-five
cents to one dollar; and this probably
is not far from lis worth.
Hc have now seen that the farmer
does 20, gan very much by pastur!ng
the stalks. Let u% see what he loses. !
have already advertcd to some of these
losses. Bat these are exceptions. The
or, ateSt and general loss results from
the cattle tra:nping the ground when it
is soft and wet 1t is true that the
ground maybe frozen: but III nine cases
out "t ten it will 50 happen that part of
the time the ground will be soft and
wet The damage done by the tramp
ing of cattle at such times is great. 1t
occasions much extra labor in prcpar-
inw the ground for the subsequent crop
or else the planting Of that crop in
ground unsuitable for it. | have seen
this often illustrated in the fields of nv
ncighborS and not frequently have L
been taught by it in the bitter school of
Doubtless many of my
most ObServant readers have noticed it,
and To the common sense OF those who
have not | can confidently appeal, for
they must be conN inced by little
thought that the tramping of cattle.
hogs. sheep or horses on soft ground
must be productive of clOds and de-
structiye of the grounds mellOwness
and lie am firmly convinced that in
:, large ma ,ority of eases this damage
ex eeds the gain Of pasturing. 1t would
| e better to cut and shock what was
needed for food and let the balance 90
John u. .Stahi, IN Prairie
Farmer.
Rice rudding: Onc-third cup of rice.
one cup o. sugar, two eggs, one pint of
milk. halt lemon and salt soak the
ice over night; beat the yelks Of the