The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-08-02
EXPERIMENT STATION
At the Agricultural and Mechan-
zeal College.
Work at the Station and List OF
the Value of Cob and Shuck
IN Cattle Feeding.


cultural and Mechanical college, has issued
It's second bulletin, from which the fol-
lowing interesting matter is culltd:
The work of the station was started the
first week in March, not much being
done, however, until the last week in the
mouth.
The several departments of the station
are equipped and Differed, and have COM
menced work, with the exec ption OF the
veterinary branch. A skilled veterinarian
will be adj ed to the station staff during
the summer, and he will give special atten-
tion to the prevention and treatment of
diseases of stock,
Attention will be given, mainly, to ques-
tions that are thought to be of most i'm
portance to farmers and st0ckmen in the
state.
Arrangements are being made to have
the diseases that affect cotton, rust"
"blight," etc, carefully studied during the
present year preparatory to making ex-
periments in the way of discovering pre-
ventives and remedies.
An experiment has been designed to
test the value of cob and shuck meal,
which has been designed and carried out
by students of the second class under the
immediate supervision of Assistant Pro-
fessor Digger.
Six head of steers, each coming two
years old the present spring, were selected
and divided into two lots of three each.
To lot l was fed shelled corn ground
coarsely; an amount which was entirely
eaten up WAS fed twice daily, each steer IN
the lot receiving the same amount.
To lot was fed an amount of corn
cob and shuck ground cuarsely together,
which contained a weight of clear corn
equaling the amount fed TO lot l; or, since
shelled com weighs So pounds per bushel,
and corn in ear with shuck attached
averages ~ pounds per bushel, the
amount fed to lot was always compared
with amount fed to lot l, in the ratio of
~ t. 90, or as to 7, by weight. By this
means it. was possible to ascertain
Subject to individual variation) the
effect of the cob and shuck in excess of
clear corn as "chops." All the steers in
each lot were allowed grass freely, run
ming out in pasture day time and were
taken up for feeding at nigh, fact
which may account in part for the only
slight difference observed in favor of the
cob and shuck. Another fact which
doubtless worked against greater gair
from feeding cob and shuck ground with
the corn is the impos,lbility of grinding
it fine enough with an ordinary SWEEP
mill.
With all of the steers in each lot there
was given preliminary feeding period
of six days before taking the first weights
on February IS.
In brief, it was found that the lot fec
on CHOPS alone made a gain in sevent,
days of 465 pounds, an average gain o
221 pounds per day and head, and re
curing 4.00S pounds of feed to produce
one pound of gain.
The lot fed on an equal amount o
"chops," with the cob and shuck added, a
days of 4S015 pounds, an average of 2.2'
pounds per day and head, and requiring
but 1888 pounds of "chops," with col
and shuck added, to produce one pound
of gain. The excess, although slight
shows in favor of a certain value in thu
cob and shuck, but it is question as tt
whether the gain observed will pay TO
the extra time and power required t.
grind corn, cob and shuck together, a
least when The small sweep mills are used
There are at present in progress on tn
college farm experiments to test the value
of some twenty different mixtures of com
morcial fertilizers as compared with farm
yard manure in varying quantities Pc
acre, and with unmanured land.
The crops represented in these tests are
corn, both for dry and enslage use; sorg-
hun, millet, cow-peas, johnson grass
melliIotus or sweet clover, Japan clover
and cotton.
In addition to the above, started the
present spring, there is the series of con
secutive tests started five years ago or
half acre plots to ascertain the lasting
qualities of several diff .rent kinds of com
mercisl and home made manures in thu
peculiar soil of this locality, and their ef'
fects each year on yield of corn as COM
pared with yield on unmanured land o
same original value.
The creamery is now about ready TO
operation, and with its opening will b
started an extensive series of experiment.
looking to the furtherauce of the dair,
interests in our state.