Middletown transcript., 1897-12-11
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FEEDING NEW CORN.
Being Difficult to Digest, Much Is Wasted.
Grinding the Corn.

FEEDINO NEW OO1Ns
Being Difficult to Digest, Much Is Wasted.
Grinding the Corn.
Much of the corn crop this year will
be soft. It will be what farmers call
new corn until freezing dries out it's
surplus moisture. Yet the hogs have to
be fattened for slaughtering in Decem-
Der or January, and there will have to
be a good deal of it fed out without dry
ing to COWS and other stock. American
Cultivator has the following to say on
the subject of feeding new corn:
Probably the COW can get more good
out Of soft corn than any other farm an
imal. She will bring it up and remasti-
cate it, insuring partial digestion if she
has not had an overfeeding of corn, for
it must be remembered that all corn is
hard to digest, and when it is full Of
moisture it is more SO than ever.
Grind the corn, even if into coarse
bits, and it is made much more easy to
digest. When fattening hogs are fed
fine corn meal, some of it will go
through them undigested, but when
new corn is fed to stock the part that
fails to digest is much greater. 1t is
very hard to grind new corn. The mois-
ture in it makes the grain stick to the
grinding apparatus. But if some well
dried oats, corn or barley are mixed
with the corn not yet dried out it will
grind much better. When it is desired
to grind corn on the cob, the trouble is
that the cob breaks into large pieces, in.
stead of being ground as it should But
if whole grain of any kind is mixed
with the ears so as to fill the vacant
spaces the cob will grind perfectly. For
feeding COWS and other horned cattle
there is an advantage in grinding corn
in the ear The ground cob makes the
nutriment less concentrated and it di-
gests better.
AS new soft corn is usually fed to
hogs, a great part Of its nutrition is
wasted. 1t is soInuch harder to digest
than the same corn after it has dried,
that it is much better to feed sound corn
if it can be had and reserve the soft
corn until it dries out by freezing There
is great shrinkage during this drying
out process, but there is more fattening
quality in the smaller quantity than
there is in the larger.
Corn is almost universally fed while
it is full of the juices of the stalk and
cob If the feeding Of the crop were
spread out during the whole winter, in
stead of being confined to fall and one
of the winter months, the gain from
feeding it would be far greater than it
is. Much of the larger part of this sea
sons corn crop will be fed to hogs, cat
tie and sheep between now and next
January or February at furthest. It is
done to hurry up the fattening, but ow-
ing to the indigestibility Of new corn
much of it is wasted. The pork and
beef thus made are neither so palatable
nor SO healthy as the same would be if
hogs and cattle were fed from their ear
liest period sufficient to keep them in
thrifty and growing condition. 1t is the
common practice Of wasting new corn
during the fall and winter months that
makes this impossible. A small amount
Of grain given while animals are at
grass in summer will produce far more
flesh and Of better quality than a
much larger quantity fed as wastefully
as new corn usually is
Successful Wintering of Bees.
Whatever method be followed in win
tering bees certain conditions regarding
the colony itself are plainly essential.
First, it should have good queen; sec
ond. fair sized cluster of healthy bees,
neither too old nor too young; third, a
plentiful supply of good food. The third
essential. good food, says Frank Benton,
assistant entomologist, department. of
agriculture, is secured if the hive is lib
orally supplied with well ripened hon.
ey from any source whatever, OF with
fairly thick sirup, made from white
cane sugar, which was fed early enough
to enable the bees to seal it over before
they ceased flying Fifteen to 90 pounds
Tor outdoor wintering i'll tho south, up
to 80 or 40 pounds in the north, when
| wintered outside with but slight pro-
lection, or if wintered indoors l5 to 20
POUNDS may Do consloered Ialr supply
of winter food
A smaller amount should not be trust
ed except in case much greater protec
tion be furnished against the effects Of
severe weather than is usually given A
greater amount Of stores will do no
harm if properly arranged over and
about the center of the cluster, or in
case the combs are narrow wholly above
the cluster In many instances it will
be benefit by equalizing in measure
the temperature in the hive as well as
by giving to the bees greater confidence
in extending the brood nest in early
spring