The Newtown bee., 1894-11-16
Live Farm Topics,

Live Farm Topics,
 CURING AND FEEDING CORN FODDER.
 How best to cure and feed corn fodder ought to be subject of much interest to ali farmers, in the light of advanced scientific investigation. It has, perhaps a horse or COW will fare much better if fed our ordinary stalk fodder alone than if fed corn alone. have known farmers to winter horses in the barn. yard on fodder only, and have them in much better condition in spring than others kept in the stable and fed on corn, supplemented with straw or even with ordinary hay.
 The value of the fodder for feeding purposes depends largely upon the man. ner in which it is cured and prepared. Few farmers, in my opinion, realize the importance of cutting before the blades become dried on the stalk, and while the plant retains it's sap and rich juices. A small outlay at the right time in the corn field is money well spent. Too often with us the corn is necessarily neglected in order to save tobacco from the frost, or on account of carelessness, and consequently nearly half it's value is lost before 1t is cut. It suggests waste and ruin to see fields of fine corn with the fodder dried to a crisp or frost bitten, ready to be blown into the fence corners and gullies by the first blast, or certainly to d op off in large quan- titles as soon as the corn is handled by the tardy farmer. It is in guarding against this condition that I think little money may be judiciously spent in extra labor if necessary.
 I have found it convenient in hand ling the fodder after the corn is husked to tie it in bundles. Irvine for this purpose can be purchased at small cost-about $1 to $1.5O for 20 acres. The time saved in future handling of the fodder will pay for the twine, and the prevention of waste will more than compensate for the extra labor. The shocks stand up well, and the fodder can be loaded upon the teams more easily and expeditiously. In one way particularly have noticed an advantage in us1ng the twine, and that is in feed ing the long fodder in the stable. I wintered my work horses last year by using the fodder tied in this way at a small cost, as I gave them only light feeds of corn. The men would stand the bundles united in the stalls, and by morning the horses would have eaten all except the coarse stalks, without any waste by trampling.
 Even if it were economy to do so, it Is impossible with large crops of corn, or where corn and tobacco are both raised, to pull the fodder and cut the tops. My attention was attracted few days ago to the following newspaper article:
 Why Pull Your Corn Fodder? is the title of bulletin (No. l04) issued by the North Carolina Agricultural Ex- pertinent Station. It treats of very important subject and shows that there is great loss in the present method of pulling fodder and leaving the stalks to rot in the field. Nearly half of the total value of the corn plant is lost by pull ing fodder according to the present plan.
 The simplest way to get the most food out of the corn plant is to cut close to the ground with the short-handled hoes at about the time the fodder would be pulled. Put 400to 600 pounds in shock and stand the butts out open enough to make the shock stand firm and let in the air to dry the corn. Bind the tops tight to hold together and keep out rain.
 When cured, shuck out the ears and cut what is left, known as stover-the stalks, blades and shucks. Cut in one- half inch lengths with ordinary hand feed-cutter, or better power if you have it. Feed to cows or work teams with cottonseed meal, wheat bran, or such other nitrogenous materials as can be most readily obtained. For nearly balanced ration, feed one pound of meal to four of stover and two of oat straw. The stover alone, fed freely, will sup port an animal at rest and not giving milk.
 referred just now to the results of scientific investigation, as applied to corn fodder. As we have seen above, the North Carolina Agricultural Exper- iment Station discovered by chemical tests that nearly half the value of the corn plant is lost by pulling fodder, according to the present plan, and leaving the stalks to rot in the field.
 These experiments are verified by the Maryland Station, as set forth in Bulle- tin No. 20, published in March, 1893. From this I learn, first, the very inn portant fact that ian ordinary corn crop produces more dry matter and more digestible matter from an acre than a good crop of clover or timothy hay, the oligestible matter in the fodder alone being found to be equal to the digesti- ble matter in two tons of either clover or timothy hay.D Second: It is shown that by running the stalk fodder through cutter and crusher, animals will eat practically all of it. Third The corn. fodder from one acre Is worth more for feeding purposes when properly pre- pared than the corn cars from one acre. Fourth The corn butts O stalks con- tain much valuable food, and will be- eaten by cattle when out and crushed.
 Thoae who have given out fodder Y +