The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-10
CORN AS A FOLDER CROP.
How and when to Harvest tits Mar
agement After Cutting.

fodder value. Often one must suffer at
the expense of the other. Too early cut
ting is as bad as too late. The value Of
corn fodder in order to be most nutritious
and palatable TO stock Of all kinds does
not, however, depend entirely on the
proper time of cutting, but on the care
and manner in which it is handled after
cutting. II the season is far advanced
and weather damp, smaller shocks must
be made than If the weather is dry. The
larger the shocks can be made without
danger Of molding the better fodder will
keep. An Ohio correspondent Of The
Practical Farmer gives his mode of har.
vesting. He writes;
For cutting prefer Jack or corn.
horse. Take two pieces of board about
feet long for legs, and one IL feet long,
to one end of which nail the legs,
spreading them at the bottom sufficient
to make It stand. A crosspiece can be
nailed on TO hold them stiff and in
place. A number Of holes should be
bored in the long piece through which
long thin stick is put to keep the corn
from falling on the start. The different
holes will accommodate corn Of differ
ent height. When the shock is finished,
remove the cross stick and draw the
horse ahead in place for the next shock.
This does away with carrying a corn
cutter to cut standards in huslxing time.
To make a good shock of corn work
around It, If all Of one side is cut first,
leaning position is obtained, the eff
fects Of which become more apparent
the longer it stands. Fodder will be-
come musty in such shocks. Cut around,
set up straight and solid in the center,
and tie we'll, and fodder will keep
sweet. The number Of hills that consti-
tute shock of corn depends upon the
crop. In corn that will husk 100 baskets
per acre, eight hills square make q
good shock, which think is sufficiently
large to work to good advantage. If cut
larger, time is lost in travelling the dis
tance to carry the corn.
If O shock is we'll put up and properly
tied, it will stand straight until husked
| To tie large shock Of corn take a good
five-eighths Of an inch rope feet long
| put ring in one end, such as you get
diameter; at the other end fasten pin
10 inches long by l i inches thick, by
boring a hole in the head just large
enough to admit the rope; fasten with
q common wood screw sharpen the 9th
er end stick this pin in the shock of
corn; pass around with the other end
slip the pin through the ring and draw
the shock as tight as you please. BY
sticking the pin in the shock again il
will hold its position until the shock is
tied, then remove the rope. This may
seem good deal of fuss to some, but it
will not take a smart man as long to dc
it as l am telling it. A pair Of good
strong arms are best, Us long as they can
reach. When shocks are beyond reach,
this rope is the best thing.
As soon as. corn is we'll dried out il
should be husked, the fodder tied il
bundles, these set in punches of about
20 bundles each, set up straight firm on
the ground and tight together. When
enough is husked for stack, good
plan is to stack the fodder, as winds Of
ten make sad havoc with it. My way o.
stacking is this: About 100 bundles are
set ON the ground in an upright posi-
tion, as nearly round as possible, Built
the stack on top Of this by first placing
several bundles crosswise in the center
In laying around care must be exer
cised in the first several rounds to have
all come out the same distance, or il
will settle the stack one sided. A foun-
dation Of 100 bundles will hold about
700 bundles, to make it of ordinary
height. By making larger more can be
put in one stack, but prefer about thai
size, as we usually haul in the barn and
cut and feed from there AS the stack il
carried up little drawing in will give
more and more slope until it comes to {
point, which should be securely tied. A
stack Of this kind we'll made, viii
stand and keep sweet until the follow
ing May, as nothing but butts are ex
posed to the weather and the ground.