The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1897-09-04

but little per ton. If to be gathered
with wage labor, it usually proves so
expensive that the greater part of the
crop remains in the field. The half
green corn blade contains much nour-
ishing food. Work stock must have
roughness, and when labor is cheap it
is we'll to harvest part of the corn
crop as fodder, even though it results
in harvesting less grain-a much dis
puted question. Although 70 our north
ern neighbors, fodder pulling suggests
to them the cutting of hay with scis-
sors, because of the tedious hand labor
involved, it is in many cases more eco
nomical to pull fodder than buy ma
chinery for saving the very small
quantity of hay. This is the extensive
plan and it is in harmony with much
OF our southern agricultural system
and should not be changed without
sufficient reason.
In many sections of the north and
west large part of the corn crop is
saved by cutting the stalks with the
ear on at fodder pulling stage and cur
ing the crop in shocks of stocks in
the field. The ear is removed from
this corn when cold weather comes and
other farm duties are light. This '.fod-
der corn" constitutes an important
rough or long forage crop in the United
States. In many parts of the south
this method of harvesting can not be
safely used because of our humid sum-
mer climate causing the inside of such
shocks to spoil before the crop can dry
out. In the central and western por-
tons of this state this method should
be more generally adopted. In some
instances the entire crop of stalks with
earsl is fed during the winter season in
movable troughs upon pasture land or
fields intended for cultivation. This
practice results in richly-manured land
while saving much hand labor upon
farms where labor is scarce.
CUTTING AND sHREDDINe.
The average farmer does no other
work of preparation of food when his
hay or roughness is properly cured and
stacked safe from rain, and in this he
is generally correct if he lives in the
southwest. Cntting will frequently
cost one-half as much as the first cost
of the rough forage. No doubt that
cutting or shredding renders the crop
more digestible; that these operations
save waste at the trough; and that
either operation will prove expensive
because both of the items of gain mem
toned above will not compensate, ex.
cept in rare cases, for the one-hali
added cost of total crop. A ton of hay
sorghum or corn fodder costs less wher
grown in this section, we are assured
than in any other portion of the United
States. The machinery used in cutting
or shredding costs us fully as much
So that instead of investing 500 il
these machines, the progressive farmer
will consult his own interest by grow
ing another 500 worth of cheap hay
The cost of crop produced is mos
important item in this connection. TIL,
sorghum hay Of this state should COS
/ but Sl.25 or $500 per ton upon thu
farm. Similarly, alfalfa and peas cal
be grown for about third create
cost. Prairie hay is often made at I
cost of S1.0O to $500 per ton. Thes
Extremely low prices enable us to pro
duce on an extensive system and fee,
with apparent waste and carelessness
economically, rather than purchase ma
chimes that will add to the value OF tn
crop, but can not do this to such an ad
vantage as though our crops wer
grown upon high-priaed lands wit
expensive labor and intensive culture
To some of your readers not familia
without conditions the statements pre-
sented above may appear strained, bu
years of study and investigation cor
corning these matters have convince
us that in the purchase of machine
for preparing folders we can afford t
be conservative. In the north an
east, where hay sells for sl2 or SIS pc
ton, this position is not tenable, bu
with our extensive farming systel
we may save ourselves this expens
and continue to compete with all stoc
growers, in the face of low prices, an
furnish the world with high-grad
horse stock, beef and mutton at prof
, to the grower.
Danger to live stock from SORGHUM
can be entirely avoided by introducin
the feed gradually, to the unaccu
toned animal. In personal observl
ton Of sorghum as a forage frop Il
, more than Is years the writer hi
known of no death resulting from i
= use that could not have been east
avoided. Explicit directions upon tn
matter have been given by numerol
, correspondents for years, and in I
i case has sickness or loss of life been r
ported to us. The evident success wit
| which chicken corn, Johnson gras
|, though pon-saccharine sorghums, gro
; in the south, indicate to us that in I'll
; course of time we may natdralize swe'
y sorghum and have it grow as volu
teer annual. as the non-sweet so
a ghums now do with us.-J. H. Come