The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-09-14
CORN-RAISING PROFITABLE
In the Willamette Valley when
Grown for Silage.

Much has been said of late, regarding the
profits of corn growing in the Willamette
valley. Several of the state papers, in adj
vocating this industry, seem to have been
over Jealous, and have made statements
which careful investigation of the subject
will not bear them ou5 in. In order to give
our readers the exact facts in the matter, a
GAZETTE reporter went out to the expert
ment station few days ago and interview
ed Prof. French on the subject. From him
it was learned that the industry was alto
gether impractical, when grown for seed and
grain.
In the course of the interview, Prof.
French said: ''Cern growing in the Will
lamette valley might just as well be given
up first as last. The weather here is too
cool. Our average summer temperature Is
. from 60 to 65 degrees, and this is by no
means hot enough for successful corn grow
ing" Repeated experiments have been
made at the station on this subject All
varieties of corn have been planted for sew
eral seasons and under the most favo ale
circumstances, yet the results have, as a rule,
proved entirely unsatisfactory. Some favor
able seasons the corn may ripen, but it will
never cure sufficiently for storage until
dried by artificial heat. This operation adds
still more to the cost of raising and renders
the industry inpracticable even though it
were profitable. Suppose farmer grows
500 or 1000 bushels, how is he to kiln-dry
it? And when he has it cured, where is he to
store it SO that the dampness of winter " i'll
not cause it to mould and spoil?
GROW CORN FOR sILAGE.
Corn can be grown with profit if used
for silage; and has, perhaps, no equal for
this purpose. While it will not mature
here quite as readily and certainly as in
the East, yet it reaches the stage for making
good silage with little difficulty. Corn has
been raised at the station for several years,
and the experiment has proved perfect
success when the crop is used for silage.
This season twenty acres have been planted
It is now in excellent condition. and gives
promise of splendid yield. Ten to twelve
tons of silage is the average yield per acre.
According to the statement,.of Prof. French,
three tons of good corn silage is equal in food
value to one ton of choice clover hay, and
with the exception of horses, all kinds of
atock do well on it. Corn can be grown,
cut and placed in the silo for fifty cents per
ton, including cost of seed, while the ex'
pense of storing clover hay will not be under
So per ton
Besides being an excellent food, the adj
vantages of growing corn for silage are many.
It will make crop in a few months. The
seed costs but little, and may be raised on
summer fallowed ground. Any land that
will grow wheat will grow corn equally as
well. It is better to raise corn on summer
fallow than it is to let the ground lie idle
and exposed to the glare of the hot sun,
which burns much of the life and substance
out of it, The corn is harvested before
seeding time, and the ground is left in read
iness for sowing wheat. When threshing is
done the straw should be stacked near thu
barn. By allowing the stock access to the
straw it will all be utilized where silage is
fed twice day.
BUILD sILo. Il
A silo will cost at the gate of one dollar
per ton of storage capacity. In order to
determine what sized building will be neees-
sary, it might be stated that a COW, fed
wholly on silage, will eat 60 pounds per day;
1900 pounds per month, or about eleven
tons per annum.
In regard to feeding silage, Prof. French
has the following: cat first the animals
were given one feed each day for al few days;
but later two feeds were given, constitu-
ting the main ration. Better results are
realized if there is one feed of dry material
given each day, or the animals are given the
privilege of the straw stack. l believe
straw can be utilized very satisfactorily
when fed in this way"
One of the strong points in favor of the
silo in this state, is that by its use the sup
ply of succulent food can be kept up during
the dry season. Pastures fail as a rule dur
ing the dry season, and dairy products COM
mand better price then than earlier in the
season. For this reason the practice of
AoouAhS ShaSO Ouc IA VI
summer has been successfully followed by
many who are engaged in the dairy bust
ness.
VALUE OF sILo.
Although not of a late date, the following
extract, from paper written on this sub
ject, by Col. I. Cornelius, one of the most
successful farmers in the Willamette valley,
speaks in the strongest terms of the merits
of the silo:
"My experience with the silo is something
like this: In the summer of 1888 1 built
silo, which holds almost 225 tons, filled with
green corn, and was so well pleased with
the results that the following year built
three other silos and filled them with green
corn, clover, oats and wheat, all of which
made good feed. This year put up one
Thousand tons, corn, clover and oats, most
ly corn. I am pleased with the result
would not undertake to keep any consider
able number of stock on a farm without a
silo, and believe farming lands in this state,
especially for stock or dairy farming, are
worth at least twenty-five per cent more
with the aid of the silo than without it, as
any of our valley lands may be made to sup
port one cow per acre with the silo, while
without the silo it requires above four acres