The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1895-11-02
Injury to Corn Fodder Field Exposure.

Purdue University Agricultural Station
The unusually small hay crop o
the present year has directed the at
tention of feeders to the most valua
bic Of all the agricultural side pro.
duets of our State; corn fodder, OF
more properly, the corn slower. The
custom has been TO leave most Of this
valuable feed standing in the field
and stock take what they would OF
it, after it had been exposed to the
frosts and storms. Experiments have
repeatedly shown that well cured
corn slower is fully as valuable for
feeding purposes as good timothy
hay. This conclusion is the result
of practical experiments carefully
conducted
The custom of allowing the fodder
to stand in the field exposed to the
weather, results in a two fold loss /;
the feed becomes dry and unpalata-
BILE as compared with well cured fod-
der, and there is also a great loss of
material. This loss of material is
both mechanical from the breaking
up of the leaves, and chemical from
the destruction of the constituents
of the fodder About one half of the
total feed in the fodder is found in
the portion of the stalk below the
ear. Practically all of this and
portion of the stock above the ear
are lost If the fodder is left standing
in the field.
The chemical losses due to expos
ure are chiefly losses of the group in
which sugarsand similar soluble bod
les are found These soluble sub
stances are the ones most readily
digested and the palatability of the
food depends in a large degree on
the proper preservation of these ma
terials.
Cane growers know how rapidly
canes deteriorate after heavy frost
or splitting freeze. Similar changes
take place in the corn plant, which
is related to the cane, but in a small
er degree, since the sugars are pres
ent in smaller quantity. The changes
that take place in weathering result
in an absolute loss of material of the
sugar group since they are convert
ed into compounds that pass off into
the air. The albuminoids of the
corn plant are more digestible than
the albnminoids of hay. But wealth
ering has the same effect on the corn
plant as over ripeness in hay the
albuminoids are made less digestibe
and so there is a loss of available al
buminoids as well as an absolute loss
from decomposition that is steadily
going on. The hardening of the
woody fibre encloses the other ma
terials, so that greater resistance is
offered to the action of the digestive
fluids and there is less food material
available for the support Of the
animal.
The experience of foods, as well
as feeding experiments carefully con
ducte under chemical control, indi
Gates that the most feeding material
may be derived from the corn crop
by cutting it as early as is consist
ent with the proper curing of the
ears. Danger of moulding may be
lessened by making the shocks small
Ter than Is customary. Shocks as
small as four hills square are some.
times used and permit very free cir
culation of the air The labor of
cutting and handling is greatly les
sened by the use Of smaller shocks.
So far as the writer knows the corn
stalk disease has not appeared
among cattle fed on properly cured
corn fodder, although the disease oc
ours among cattle having the range
Of the corn stalk fields.