Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-10-28
CORN AND LIVE STOCK.

our corn crop is so abundant and SO
readily grown that vast deal of corn
feeding is iniudiciously done, and much
harm is done in consequence. For
years we have been teaching with con-
siderable good effect that feeding much
corn is entirely out of place except to
fattening animals. Corn produces fat,
and so little of anything else, that it
may be said that it produces nothing
else. It makes little bone or muscle
and hence is entirely unfit in large
quantities for growing animals or ami
mails that are not Immediately intended
for the butcher. We presume that more
| sickness among animals can be traced
to feeding too much corn than all other
causes together. According to the
very prevalent system of breeding and
feeding swine, the pig is put on corn
just as soon as possible, and kept on it
until the animal is sent to market at
the age of nine or ten months, or later,
if it lives that long. It has no vigor,
no bone, no muscle. 1t is lump of
fat, and if it does not succumb to dis
ease it enjoys exceptional luck. A
vast deal of our swine disease is caused
by this utter neglect to fortify the ami
NAL system by properly developing it.
And then the horse is often fed upon
corn year in and year out. An animal
that needs strengthened it can not
have this without a full development of
bone and MUSCLES fed upon that
which gives no strength at all but pro-
ddces a condition which in itself is
really disease. That is what excess
sive fat always is. And sooner or later
the horse is out of condition, sick, and
perhaps dies after good round sum
has been expended for drugs and the
attendance of the veterinarian. StAp
feeding corn to such reckless extent
and an efficient and cheap preventive
and remedy would be obtained.
With this warning we proceed in the
line of thought that we started out Oh,
which is that the profits of feeding or
fattening animals depends on our corn
crop. The farmer who has not learned
that the most profitable way to market
his corn is by turning if into meat. is
way behind the times, and should make
it point to catch up with the process
sion at once. And yet, important as a
good corn crop is to the profits of
farm, there is an astonishing amount
of failure to grow as much corn as
might be grown if there was universal
ly more care taken with the crop. In
the first place, great deal of our corn
land is not fit for the purpose. Most
of our prairie land is wet, and wet
land is no land for corn. 1t is late il
getting in condition in the spring. and
hence the crop is retarded in its growth,
and by the time it gets well under way
drought is liable to come, and the re-
suit is failure. Every year that the
owner of such lard fails to drain it he
invites disaster to his crop, and will
probably grow but a partial crop.
There is no step that the owner OF
low, wet ground can take that will pay
him so well as to proceed to drain such
land. AS some one has remarked,
while mortgage upon the farm is
usually to be deplored, it is better tc
mortgage the farm to procure tile thar
it is to let land that needs draining re-
main undrained.
Our next cause of failure is poor
seed, and very much of that is the re-
suit of carelessness in saving. Many
man pays no attention at all to his
seed. He gathers his corn and when
he gets ready to plant he goes TO the
crib and selects his seed corn and if
such corn grows the farmer ought to
be disappointed instead of being disap-
pointed if it does not grow. The life
germ of the corn is created while the
corn is soft, and it is pretty likely tc
get injured if it is permitted to remain
on the stalk until after the frost attacks
it. though we observe that the
Secretary of one of our State
Agricultural Societies has sent out
notice that corn intended for seed
should be permitted to remain on the
stalk until the stalk has been killed by
the frost If the people of his State
follow that advice, by letting the corn
remain until the frost is heavy enough
to penetrate the husks, they will have
abundant reason to make it lively in
his office whenever they shall 90 to it
after complaining next spring. At
least there is a strong probability in
that direction. Seed corn, as has been
stated over and over again by the vast
majority of practical writer's, should
be selected while the corn is vet stand
ny III Vic lcIu anu DcIOlG UuC 1IOSGS
have killed the stalks Take off the
ears and hang them in a cool dry place
and where they may have the benefit
of smoke The heat from the fire will
help to dry the corn and the smoke
furnishes something of a protection.
Under no consideration throw the
corn into heap or place it where it
will not dry. We need not say that
such ears as you desire to produce
should be selected, for always remem-
Der the general rule is that like produce
like.
A correspondent writes that hetwould
like a method to save seed corn in the
crib in large quantities. He finds diff
Guilty. OF course the reason that the
corn spoils is that it does not dry. If
all the corn was saved as we have adj
vised seed corn to be saved, it would
not spoil. Is there not then a practical
way to treat ctrn upon a large scale
pretty much as we would treat seed
corn on smaller scale? We think
there is. Construct crib wholly of
Stats, sides and bottom. Construct
Gil ,11a fI11,,o outside