St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-05-18
FARMER AND PLANTER
FOOD FOR STOCK.

FOOD FOR STOCK.
/ The Value nj Sweet Potatoes N = Substl.
tute for Corn Or Other Grain.
The Charleston Is. CO. News and
Courier is one of the few leading daily
papers in the south that takes an active
interest in the practical lines of farm
and rural life. In = recent issue the
editor discusses at length the three
facts ~ western corn is gain pouring
into the upper part of South Carolina
by the carload, and will continue TO do
SO until another crop is harvested,
and (e) that the cotton farmers pay
about 50 per cent. advance on quoted
Chicago prices for all the western corn
they buy, and Cij that very many farm
ers in that state will engage in hog
raising and stock-raising on an un-
usually large scale this year. These
the editor regards as sufficient warrant
for the widespread interest which is
| being manifested in the matter of find
ing cheap but satisfactory substitute
for that kind of ''stock feed" The
article reads:
We have published recently several
important articles on this subject ad-
vocating and explaining the value of
cotton seed, sweet and Irish potatoes
and sorghum cane for feeding hogs.
Rev. j. q. Williams. in his letter
printed two days ago. strongly urges
the economy and other virtues Of Span
ish pindars for the same purpose. An
article which was reprinted yesterday
from the Valdosta (Ga.). Times also
strongly indorses 'pindars"-whether
Spanish or others was not stated-and
adds some highly interesting testimony
tn the value of mulberries as an exclu-
sivc hog food from April to Septem-
ber. Mr.. ]. w. Harrcll. OF Valdosta,
as reported, raised III hogs ON pindars
and mulberries last year, did not
feed SO much as fifty bushels OF
corn to them, and cleared about
$1,000. He advises planting mulberry
trees-at least fifty-pn every farm.
and if they will feed hogs five months
in the year we move to amend by maxi
ing the number at least 100.
We print a letter from Mr.. J. S. JET
fers, of Florence, in which he adds his
testimony to that already published as
to the merits of sweet potatoes as a
food for Everything on the farm" bi-
peds and quadrupeds alike. but with
special reference to its value for feed
ing stock. Mr.. Jeffers. it will be noted,
has fed sweet potatoes for several
years, and speaks, therefore. with au-
thority. Hog-raisers will be particu-
larly interested in what he says about
the virtue of . mixed and boiled ration
of cotton-seed meal and sweet pota-
toes, land some corn" for fattening
hogs; and tobacco-growers in what he
says about the value of potato ground,
we'll rooted up by hogs, for growing
tobacco.
The part of the letter which will be
of most general interest probably is
that which relates to the use Of pota-
toes as food for mules. horses and
cows. To what is said about feeding
them to horses and mules we may add
some interesting facts recently OBJ
tanned from an expert farmer living
near Charleston. This gentleman told
us = few days ago that he and his
neighbor> discovered the value of
sweet potatoes as food for their
farm stock about five or six years
ago, and were SO well satisfied with
their first years experiment that
their potato crop the next year was
increased tenfold. Since that time
they have fed their horses and mules
throughout the winter, from Octo-
Der to April, exclusively on a mixed
ration, of which sweet potatoes forms
the larger part. The potatoes are
chopped and mixed with about a fourth
or a fifth of their weight of rice -four
the cheapest 'bran" that can be OBJ
tanned in this region. Any other
kind of bran will answer as we'll, the
object of the mixture being to provide
a due proportion of ''roughness" with
the more concentrated food SO as to
promote digestion. From a peck to a
peck and a half of the mixture is fed
daily to working animals. and lump
of rock salt is kept in the feed trough
SO they can get it whether they want
it. The object in chopping the pota-
toes and mixing them with the
bran is to compel the stock
to eat both at once. II
the potatoes and bran or hay, or other
''roughness," are placed separately in
the trough. the animals will eat the
potatoes grcedily and exercise their
Judgment about eating the less at
tractive fare, and the digestive and
economical uses of the mixture will be,
or may be. lost. The important advan-
tages of the sweet potato as q food for
stock and hogs consist in the two facts
that it has been found to lsc q perfect
ly satisfactory substitute for corn, and
is very much cheaper than corn. Three
bushels of potatoes will fully supply
the place of one bushel of corn, and an
acre of ground that will grow only a
few barrels of corn will grow from l5O
to 200 bushels of potatoes. Land
that will not grow corn. moreover,
will grow potatoes abundantly. "The
sandy ridges" says Mr.. Jeffers. ''are
the best potato lands" and it would be
vain to say that they are the best corn
lands.
Mr.. Jeffers. it will be noted, esti-
mates that .'One-third of the corn" us
ually fed to mules and horses in the
winter months can be saved by feeding
potatoes whole, according to his plan.
1t should be observed that no corn is
fed during those months under the
plan we have described.
Mr.. Jcffers also lays some stress on
the fact that the potato ration gives
the stock green food" when it is
hardest to obtain. This point de-
serves particular notice, and also
the suggestion that potatoes are far
more nutritious than turnips for feed
ing sheep, though turnips are largely
planted in Europe for that purpose. 1t
is the fault Of our farmers, not Of our
farms. that sheep-raising is not large
and profitable industry in this state.
We may add finally that Col. Thomas
w. Woodward, of Fairfield county. has
been making some interesting expert
mcnts in the way of drying sweet pota-
toes, q nd has achieved y notable success
The product is white and mod
erately hard, somewhat resembling in