Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1896-05-14
Up-t0-Date Farming.

That the farmer need look TO no
political party for relief, seems now to
be generally accepted belief, based
upon past experience; and that he
must work cut his own salvation I'M
assisted by the fostering hand of IA
vored legislation is true, but pain
full, fact.
This being the case, it behooves him
to discover by close observation and
investigation, the small leaks and losses
which in more prosperous times were
overlooked, and to adopt every new
invention of melit that will reduce the
cost of production or increase the value
of his product. For the past four
months we have watched with quite a
degree of interest an experiment made
by Mr.. Walter Smith, a successful
farmer who lives just above Riverton,
as to the relative value of cut fodder
VS.. fodder fed in the old style Late
last fall he had his entire crop cut up
and packed away in his barn, using
horse to tread it down tightly, thereby
enabling him to NOW an immense
quantity in a comparatively small
space, and the followingis the result
of this innovation
Whereas in l894-95 it took from 3
to 6 shocks of fodder per month for
each head of stock wintered, in 1885
90 it took but l As shocks for the
same length of time, and notwith-
standing the exorbitant charge Of s
cents per shock for cutting, Mr.. Smith
estimates a saving of 50 per cent over
the old way. Such reduction did it
work in his feeding calculations, that
he was enabled to sell between $50
and $40 worth of hay, which he had
always fed in previous years, and he
has still in his barn one-third Of his
fodder, despite the fact that he took in
20 extra cattle for overa month.
After q thorough Investigation OF
the whole matter, Mr. Smith finds that
while cut fodder is success, yet there
is still greater improvement in the
shredding and shocking machine,
which does not cut the fodder, but
shreds it into strings, stalk and all,
while at the same time it shucks the
corn. The economic plan is to haul
the corn and fodder together, either
to the barn, or to a convenient place
in the field, where the corn can be
shucked directly into the crib OF a
wagon, and the fodder carried into
the barn on an elevator or stacked out
like straw. To the man who has on a
cold winter day dug out his fodder
from underneath the snow, and then
struggled with it as it resisted his et-
forts to put it in the racks, or the other
fellow who has tried to load matted
corn stalks in wagon, this will be a
boon. not to mention the saving.
These experiments made by Mr..
Smith, who, by the way, is one of our
closest calculators, puts the matter be-
yond speculation; the only question
now is, how much more than the saving
shown in this crude effort may be hoped
for with experience and improved ma
chinerv. Mr. Smith is trying to induce
four or five of our progressive farmers
to Join him in the purchase of one Of
these shocking and shedding ma
chimes and if successful he will do the
county great benefit, for as baled
fodder sells at only s. per ton less
than hay, and by shredding the entire
crop a saving of one-third will be eff
fected, Just such a surplus will be for
sale--a cash product now going to
waste.
We would be glad to hear from 9TH
ers who have experimental in this di-
rection, as accurate information on this
matter would be Of great value to our
farming interests.