The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-10-12

sas State Board of Agricultural
The cost of harvesting the standing
crop, including putting into shock and
afterwards hauling to the cutter, and
cost of cutting and hauling out and
putting into feed boxes for cattle, in
corn yielding forty bushels per acre,
was three cents per bushel for the corn
and 81 81 ton for the stover. l have
formerly thought that cattle relished
hay rather more than ssover, but we
have definitely concluded that they
prefer good stover to hay, which is
confirmed by all our observations the
past season. Therefore, if an allowance
for the stover is made for q higher
value than 81 81 ton, which is reason
able enough, it appears that, even with
ex 2ensive culture and the payment of
rent, we can raise corn at about the
market price, even in years when the
price is very low. There is absolutely
no room whatever to question the value
of putting the corn crop in shock, and
it is not worth while for upland farm
ers to own valley land for hay, or at
least to feel obliged to reserve much
land for that purpose. We begin put
ting corn in the shocks just as it begins
to dent, from August % to about Sep
tember 8. and we begin using the
shocked corn a few days after we first
begin cutting, as our cattle begin to
c,,ir,a R,o,,o Tho vonr,o about EIo+ $fVoo
1t is hauled in low wagon from the
field to the shed, where it is cut or
shredded by a cutter or a shredder run
by steam power. After passing through
the cutter or shredder, the carrier de-
Iivers it into large wagon, which is
then weighed over the scales and driven
to feed lot, where it is put in deep
boxes. We begin putting cattle on this
feed at once, as soon as they are
weighed up after arriving on the farm
and driven to their feed lot. At first,
witha few cattle, the cutter is In opera
tion only snort time, but after awhile,
when the number of cattle are on full
feed, it takes at least one and then sew
eral pieces of such machinery at differ
ent points to cut the corn and deliver
it to the cattle fast enough to give
them all they will eat. The memoran.
dunn of the performance of the cutter,
which was made probably on a day
when the haul of shocked corn to the
cutter and then to the cattle was an
average haul, shows five men and
teams hauling the fodder to the cutter,
two men loading in the field, three men
and teams shauling to the cattle, two
men operating the cutter, and one en-
gineer, which, with coal, repairs, etc.,
amounts to $23 a day. The original
harvest of eight acres, at 81 IL, would
be 50, having total of S32 for eight
acres, which was the amount harvested
on that day, giving a cost of 81 an acre
for the original harvesting, hauling,
cutting and feeding to cattle. Allow
ing 81 20 for harvesting forty bushels
of corn per acre at three cents, we
have 50 80 for one and one half tons OF
stover, or 81 81 for one ton Of stover.
Therefore, we take the standing crop
and handle it in this manner, harvest
and feed out the grain for three cents
a bushel and deliver to the cattle with
fodder as good or better than hay at
81 81 a ton. This, of course, is econom
ical, and in some years would be the
simple salvation of a feeding operation.
This method of handling the crop is
plainly the most economical for any
one feeding as many as $50 or 1000
head of cattle. It would take about as
many cattle as that to keep one ma
chine in continuous operation, which
would be necessary to be thoroughly
economical. Cut fodder is much more
easily handled when it is rather fresh,
and very difficult to handle late in the
season and in extremely dry weather.
A machine will prepare twice as much
fodder in a rather damp condition than
of very dry fodder. We contemplate
a plan for steaming the fodder when it
is too dry to work well before passing
it through the cutter. Tnere are sew
eral machines invented for husking the
corn and cutting or shredding the
stover, and these machines appear now
to be reaching an improved condition
which admits of their being economi'
-cally used. Naturally such machine
ia what many people need who do not
wish to feed the corn and fodder to-
gether. A farmer who may wish to
sell his corn can in this way save all Of
his stover, which believe will carry
stock cattle through the winter, II
given proper shelter. much better than
in outdoor lots If fed on grain. For