The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-07-04
TURNING CORN INTO BEEF.
A Process That Ought to Be Better Un-
derstood.

A Process That Ought to BE Better IN
derstood.
The remarks of Mr.. Stahl about feed
ing the refuse fodder of the corn fields
along with the cheap corn, and making
handsome profit from it, is one of the
most complete answers to the inquiry,
why farming does not pay" that I
have seen in a long time. also notice,
says an Iowa correspondents OF the Coun-
try Gentleman, that last week SO, 900
cattle were received az the Chicago cat
tie yards, out of which only 1000 head
were so excellent as to command SIS and
! better per cwt.. the great bulk selling
below s. so; and why was this so, with
corn selling at 16 to % cents, and 40
100000 acres of corn fodder absolutely
Iwasted?g Why should not the two
have been combined, and the 81. 11-per-
cwt. steer made to bring $50 in the
Chicago market?
This recalls remark made at Min
nesota institute. At recess" one of
the corps workers heard farmer say
that the institutes did not pay, and fur
ther, that no foreign" speaker could
give the farmers any pointers thatwould
benefit them; that farmers were doing
all that could be done now to solve this
problem.
1t so CHANGED that the foreign
speaker overheard the remark, and ''les
go" something like this: "The
counties in the southern part of Mime
sofa, no doubt, raised close to a million
acres of corn, two thirds of which was
wasted so far as relates to the fodder
which is the best half of the corn crop
if rightly saved. Corn is selling for 22c.
for So lbs. Two-year-old steers sell for
500 so per ewt-about $50 each at the
best. Now If one-half Of this corn had
been ensilaged, ears and all-say 800, 900
acres oft, at cost of S. per acre
every acre of this corn would have
amply fed S3O-steer, so that in March
he would weigh 1,4O0 lbs, and sell
for S70@T5 Instead of selling 40
bushels of corn for about 50, and throw
ing the fodder away, the crop could be
sold for about $40 per acre and over, and
the manure made would pay for the
labor OF feeding. These 500, 900 steers
would furnish Chicago with 10000 head
per week for Is weeks and sell for at
least S12, 900, 900. The corn would barely
bring 81, 500, 900, and where would the
ranch men and their $50 beef be while
selling the Minnesota steesps
1t is no use to say that farming does
not pay until we have proved tn at all
the farm resources have been gathered
up and economically utilized, and the
gross crops of the farm, like corn fod-
der, etc., been put to substantial use.
and condensed into beef, mutton or
milk. Politics, organization, or a man
who wants Office, can not so direct a
person as to make good farmer Of him.
This element comes from the man who
lives on the farm, and it is he who
must grow cheaply the big fat steer,
milk the good COW, raise the large crop
and administer the affairs of the farm
As Mr.. Stahl says, it is more grit"
corn-knives. slices and more good ami
mails. that give the profit in farming;
not grumbling, and trying to shift the
responsibility of poor crops, thin steers,
sixteen-dollar cows and eighFcent but
ter upon those on whom we ase depen-
dent for the consumption of our surplus
farm produce. While they. are asking
us all the time for higher grade OF
produce, are we always doing our bes,
to supply that demand?