The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-09-17
IMPORTANCE OF INDIAN CORN
AS A FODDER CROP.
How Can it Best be Employed for This
Purpose? ?

Purpose ?
Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
The Importance Of corn as a fodder
crop can hardly be over estimated. In
some of it's varieties it is adapted to a
very large part of our country, indeed
it is a native of this climate.
In the great corn growing regions of
the West it will continue to be raised
iu immense quantities, principally for
the grain for home use and export, but
the time is at hand when the fodder
will be considered no small part of the
crop and will be more carefully pre-
served for this purpose.
In the New England States, although
corn can be proftably grown for the
grain and fodder, yet with the cheaper
production at the West and the com
paratively low prices that have ruled
for the past few years, the tendency is
to raise less corn for the grain and more
for the fodder. Particularly is this
the case where dairying in It's various
branches is the leading industry. To
be successful in this there must be
plenty OF food for the COWS at all times
of the year and best adapted for the
purpose.
There are but few weeks in sum-
mer when the pastures can be depended
upon to produce a sufficient amount of
the best grasses, and then something
else must be substituted in order to
keep up the flow of milk which is most
desirable.
There are few crops aside from corn
that can be of use for this purpose
especially early in the seas IN, but corn
must continue to be the leading crop
And not only is it being used to supple
ment the pastures in summer in its
green condition, but it's value for later
feeding, either in a cured condition or
as ensilage, is becoming more pro-
nounced each year. The large amounts
that can be produced to the acre with
our modern methods of cultivation is
almost marvellous and Is having a
marked beneficial effect on our agri-
culture.
As an aid in our all the-year- around
dairying, ths fodder corn crop bears a
most important relation. Particularly
is this the case when put into ensIage
Of course the corn can be cured and
used to good a. vantage in that condi
tiop, and many follow this practice,
but our most progressive and SUCCESS
full farmers, the So producing milk in
the winter, much prefer putting it in
the silo as the most economical and
convenient method. When this is done
in proper manner the epsjlage is well
preserved and ready for use at all times
The methods of si!o building and
ensilage making have been greatly
simpliied since the commencement,
which is of much benefit to farmers
This is but the natural outgrowth of
experience and observation. 1t has
been found that costly silos built of
brick or stone are not necessary; in
deed are not the best. They are now
largely built Of wood and located in
cossiDle and convenient. This is very
important, as the saving of time and
labor in filing and feeding should al
ways be kept in view. They should
be placed in the barn where there can
be a strong framework of studding, as
some claim that one thickness on the
inside of well-matched lumber is all
that is wanted. OF course the best
quality of boards should be used and
be we'll coated on the inside with tar
or some good preparation, to render
them more durable.
In building a silo there should be a
good water tight foundation of stone,
a little lowest in the center and well
covered with cement. On this the
frame work rest. Good drainage and
eir tight walls are what is wanted. In
stead of having one large silo, it is be
ing found much better to have more
smaller ones, or a large one divided
into compartments, as the ensilage will
thus be presar we'd better when feeding
out. The deeper the silo the more com.
pact the ensllage will become from
press IRE of itself and the better it will
| be. With the carriers now attached
to the cutters there is 10 difficulty in
elevating the ensilage to the top of the
barn if necessary. Ten to twelve feet
square and eighteen to twenty feet
high are good dimensions. Silos of
this description should be built for
from so cents to 81 a ton capacity, &C