The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-10-03
Methods with Corn.

1t ia interesting to read the corn liter
AZURE of the day and notice the rapidly
increasing importance that is being at
tached to the crop and the increased
use of it in the more economical feeding
of the farm stock. That the silo has
had much to do with this renewed at
tention to its more general feeding
value is no doubt the case, and one can
readily see that even those who do not
have silos feed their corn aud fodder
with a great deal more care aud judg.
ment than formerly, and there seems
on many sides to be determination to
seek out new ways and methods to 80
present the corn plant to the stock that
the most feeding value shall be realized
from it. So one is hearing all the time
of methods aside from the silo-to
preserve corn fodder, such as shredding,
threshing, and many others, to avoid
the building of the silo, the inventors
claiming that the results are about as
good as if they had sheen to the ex-
pense of SLIDING the crop" One thing
besides is engaging attention more this
season than ever, and that is in relation
to the planting. There seems to be a
disposition to plant corn for fodder
much thicker than was the rule no
more than three or even two years ago.
Now we find men in favor Of planting
corn for the silo and manger feeding
with rows only three feet apart, and
with kernel each inch in the drills.
1t is claimed, with much show of rea-
son, that the corn, even if thick in the
drills, is yet so thin in the row that
there is perfect presentation of the
foliage to the sun, and, therefore, full
development of the starch and sugar
qualities. And while there may be a
dwarfage of the caring, there will be no
less dry matter or feeding units. 1t is
not proven, we believe, that food solids
of the cornstalk are less digestible than
that of the grain, while it has been
shown conclusively by Professor Jor-
dan that the fodder of on average acre
of field corn has over 300 more units of
food value than the grain husked from
them; and the results of many feeding
trials point to the fact that the corn
crop husked and the cornmeal and fod-
der fed as judiciously as possible never
equals that of a like amount put into
the silo or cured in nice shocks, then
run, ears and all, through cutter and
leu, as III lUe case VI SllhSe, WlluOul
separation. The Pennsylvania Station
found that when sixteen quarts of seed
were used to the acre, instead of eight
or nine, the dry digestibe matter in an
acre of fodder corn was practically
doubled. This is strong proof that the
thicker seeding of corn up to the six
teen or eighteen quart limit per acre is
to be admitted as permissible on the
best soils. This year the silage fields
in this locality have been more heavily
seeded than ever before, and the result
will be awaited with much interest by
the silo men. On fields nearly alike, /
have this season planted the standard
amount of seven quarts, eleven quarts,
and on four acres sixteen quarts per
acre, all for the silo, and shall put the
latter theory to as fair test as can.
The real question is; If cornstarch and
sugar are the same, whether in ear or
stalk, aud are alike digestible, where is
the most economical and abundant
source for obtaining them-the ear, the
combined plant and grain, or the fod-
der feeding proteine from other sources
to balance the ration?-Selected