The National tribune., 1893-10-19
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers

Inc Maryland Experiment Station has con-
Quoted some very useful experiments with
corn fodder to learn the dizestibiIity and con-
sequent value of the whole and Of different
| parts. The method Of harvesting corn in that
| State is the once in practice in
New England: cutting OF the stalk above the
ears soon as the spindles wither, and letting
the butts, with the ears on stand until dead
ripe. The stalks thus cut and dried what
they called topped fodder" and the "stubble"
is the butts below where the tops are cut OF.
Following is a summary of results Of expert.
ments on the different portions:
All parts on the corn plant contain valuable
food materials, the dry matter having nearly
the same com position.
The corn stubble and husks contain 60 per
cent. Of the total digestible matter produced
by the plants and the blades only II per cent.
| Of the total digestibIe matter.
Corn-husk shueks contain ~ per cent. Of d.
| gestible matter.
Corn-stubbls butts contain Sos per cent.
dgestible matter.
Corn blades or leaves contain 642 per cent
OF digestible matter
Topped corn fodder (stover) contains So per
cent. of digestible matter
There is more digestible matter contained in
fyhesSrn fodder from one acre than in the corn
ears frosa one acre.
The corn fodder or slower from one acre
yields much digestible matter as two Of
timothy hay.
There is enough digestible matter produced
by the corn fodder grown in the Southern
States to Winter all the live stock existing in
foka
prepared in palatable form.
By cutting and crushing the corn-stsIks,
cattle viii eat and utilize nearly all of them.
Corn fodder (stover) furnishes food rich in
digestible carbohydrates.
Corn fodder, when fed alone, will nearly
maintain cattle, but should be supplemented
with some food rich in nitrogen when feeding
for the production Of growth, flesh, or milk.
Farmers who are feeding cattle understand
that every advantage must be taken il small
profit Is realized, and especially so with the
common grades. They must be fed so as to Sc
cure the best gain at the lowest cost, and in
this it will not answer to overlook the smallest
details. One important condition in feeding Is
that animals should be kept perfectly quiet
that is free from any unnecessary noise or ex-
element that will tend to worry or fret,-and
the more fully they are made comfortable the
better will be the gain in proportion to the food
supplied. With cattle being fed for market
there is no need of their taking any great
amount OF exercise. Generally, if they are let
run out for short time every day they will
take all of the exercise they need without any
special effort being taken.
Regularity in feeding is an item. Whenever
an animal is on full feed any delay in feeding
at the regular hour frets the animal and causes
it to lose flesh. So far as is possible the hours
for feeding should be arranged so that they are
least liable to be interfered with. and then plan
so that the feed can be given regularly. Have
their quarters clean and supply plenty Of bed
ding The difference between good and poor
care will in many cases under present eondi-
tons determine the question of profit or loss in
feeding the cattle. Another item that is q
question in the cost of the cattle is the quantity
of feed. If they are given too much more or
less will be wasted and that will add to the
cost without a corresponding gain, while fail
ing to feed enough wastes the feed, for the
reason that when no gain is secured there is
loss of the feed. It is necessary therefore to
feed all that the cattle will eat up clean and
no more.
In feeding for growth roughness can be
largely used, but in fattening the ration must
consist Of a much larger portion of grains and
the grain should be fattening one. In feed
ing for growth the cost can be lessened by
using more roughness. But whether feeding
for growth or to fatten, care should be taken to
give sufficient amount to maintain a steady
gain.
One of the chief objects is to keep the cattle
in good condition and with good appetite, 50
that they will gain steadily and return profit
for their food, and it requires regular feeding
and the giving of good variety to do this
most fully, and it is only by doing this that
fair profit can be realized.
The Storrs School Station, in discussing their
experiments with fertilizers for grass and
clover, say that the addition of mineral fsrtil-
izers increased the yield of clover but did
not seem to increase very materially the yield
of grasses. In general the yield of hay in
creased with the quantity of nitrogen supplied.
The mineral fertilizers were applied at a loss.
This accords with sll the trials have seen.
Nitrogen is an essential element to success.
unless IL dlFSduy eAlSts III hu6 SOIL III SuHCl6ub
quantity and in available form. The practical
question is, How shall we secure this nitrogen
when it is deficient? We cannot afford to buy
it direct, as commercial fertilizers, for use on
ordinary farm crops. The two available
sources within our reach, and which we can
afford, are growing leguminous crops frequently
in the rotation, and feeding largely oil meal,
cotton-seed meal wheat bran, ETC., to suitable
stock.
One cannot insist too frequently or strenu-
ously on this. 1t is the sheet anchor to sue
cess with the average farmer. A few, perhaps,
are so situated that they can buy manure in
the town or city more eheaply than they can
make it; a few. again. who are engaged in
growing some special high priced crop may
depend on commercial fertilizer; but the great
majority must produce their own plant food,
or manufacture it from natural sources the
farm itself They must have it. or fail in pro-
ducing maximum crops; and they can only
get it economically indicated above.
On feeding wheat to young pigs an English
paper says: cit would answer to buy pigs and
feed them on wheat if you have little barley
meal and some wash to go with the wheat for
the first month. am quite sure it would an
swer if you bred the pigs and did not have to
buy because I have proved this in some careful
ex perments. Wheat is now the cheapest food
IL. nd fttIa fha-