The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1889-04-27
GOOD FODDER CROPS.
How and When to Plant and Cure Fodde
Corn and Grass.

Perhaps the best green-fodder crop
is corn; and when the grass crop prom
ises to be short, it is the part of good
management, not to say common sense,
to supplement that scarcity with some
green-fodder crop, and none answers
better than corn-fodder; for this, we'll
cured, is but little inferior to the best
of hay.
Some place may always be found in
which to put in a few acres with ad-
vantage As the fodder crop is not in
tended to mature ears, it does not
much exhaust the soil; q good crop
may be grown on any tillable land
or old pasture land. with moderate
fertilizing. Where there is no barn
manure for the purpose, commercial
fertilizers, such as are used for other
corn crops, may be used. The ground
should be broken and prepared as for
an ordinary corn crop, and planted aft
er preparing without delay. Mark
off the ground with pretty broad
furrow, about three feet apart. Scat
ter the fertilizer or manure in the fur
row, spreading it evenly as possible;
then drop in the corn, that of some
large growing kind is better, dropping
seed enough to afford one every inch
Or so of the row. The burrows are
then filled and the seed covered by
running a narrow, light drag over
them This leaves the furrow plainly
marked, so that the row may be easily
distinguished, and the ground stirred,
which should be done about a week
before the corn comes up. After the
corn is planted, little more fertilizer
scattered over the surface of the fur
rows would be greatly to the advan
tage of the crop,
The cultivation should begin, as in
stanced above, previous to the appear
ance Of the corn, as this serves more
etfectually to destroy the terminating
weeds and keeps the soil in good tone.
To give proper cultivation STIR the
soil once a week, till the corn is of
sufficient growth to need no further
tillage. This crop requires frequent
working, as its value and yield de-
ponds upon quick growth, which is
forced by good cultivation.
A well-grown crop will yield about
ten tons of cured fodder per acre. One
ton is about equal to 1000 pounds of
the best hay; any way, it is considered
by many to be equivalent in every re-
spect to an equal quantity of hay. In
this, however, much depends upon the
growing and curing of the fodder;
both these are necessary to the secur-
ing of elements of value. That is to
say, that the nutrition contained in it
is in proportion to its perfect growth.
To secure perfect growth there must
be good cultivation, light and warmth;
cultivation to give access to the ele-
ments required by the plant, and light
and warmth to prepare, or rather to
elaborate these elements-called sap
into solids and digestible substances.
So, then, we find that it is far better
to plant or drill in rows, so that all
these may be admitted, while the
method of broadcasting does not. and
the yield is likely to be crop of
blanched, weakly stalks deficient in
nutrition. if not absolutely injurious
as food. Therefore it will pay to give
the fodder-crop something like the
care and attention given to corn crops
in which grain is the special object.
Much care should be taken in the
curing of this fodder, for when dam
aged in this process, it not only de-
stroys its nourishiug qualities, but
often renders it injurious to stock
fed upon it. Perhaps the best method
for curing is to bind the stalks into
small sheaves, with bands of straw,
then set the sheaves up in a shock.
only firmly pressed together at the
top, and apart as much as possible at
the bottom; then bind all together at
the top with band of straw Let the
fodder remain thus till thoroughly
cured. after which it should be put
under shelter. When there is no
shelter for it, it may be stacked in the
field, putting a good covering of straw
on top of the stack, securing the straw
in its place by putting half dozen
poles, tied together at their small ends,
astride over all. Indeed, as valuable
as this crop is, it is well worth all the
care required to make and secure it
American Rural Home