Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-10-26
LOOKS LIKE A SUCCESS.


LOOKS LIKE A SUCCESS.
"I'll never pull fodder again; that
is settled" This is what Mr.. McClain
said last Monday when satisfied as to
the result of his recent experiment Of
harvesting his corn in accordance with
the western method of cutting down
the stalks and shocking them in the
field.
How Mr.. McClain, instead ofpulling
fodder, cut his corn down and shocked
it in the field with view to running
it through a shredder later on, was
told in THE ENQUIRER early in the
fall, and we promised at the time to
tell our readers how the experiment
pauned out. Mr.. McClain began shred:
ding last Monday, and the reporter
went down TO Springfield to see the
result.
A corn shredder is a machine which,
in general way, looks somewhat like
a straw cutter, only it is larger aud
there is considerably more mechanism
about it.. There is d frame about six
feet high, feed table large enough 10
hold several armfuls of cornstalks,
some corrugated rollers, and behind
these shaft carrying about ten large
toothed circular saws, set side by side
and some three inches apart. The
machine runs by steam power and at
very high speed, the saws revolving
at the rate Of several thousand revolu-
tions per minute. The cornslalks are
fed into the machine butt end foremost,
and are chewed up by the corrugated
rollers, which mash and tear them
on down to the ear of corn, which is
attacked from the base, stripped from
the shuck and thrown out of the ma
chine through spout on the right
hand side into hamper basket. The
stalks and shucks pass on through the
rollers against the saws and are torn
into fragments, varying from three or
four inches in length downward to al
most dust. The product is called
"stoyer." whicn is turned out at the
rate of about ton per hour, and which
is said to be a most excellent rough
ness for stock.
But the corn, which instead Of hav-
ing been allowed to mature on fodder
stripped stalks, has for several weeks
been standing in the field in shocks.
The condition of this is the question
just now. Most of it is in perfect
condition, a great deal of it is more
or less damaged, and some Of it a
total loss. At a rough estimate,
the reporter would say that about
70 per cent. was perfectly sound,
about 20 per cent. was more or less
damaged, and about 10 per cent. was
a total loss-utterly worthless. This
estimate is based on the appearance of
a pile containing about 80 bushels, all
that had been husked at the time of the
reporters visit. However, this con-
dition should not be too hastily attrib.
uted to the method of harvesting, for
that would be a serious mistake. The
totally worthless corn was such as had
been knocked from the shocks and al
lowed to lie on the ground, where it
rotted or sprouted. Including this,
however, the percentage of damage is
no greater than is being reported from
all sections of the county, even in up
land corn that has been treated ac-
cording to the usual methods. Taking
these facts into consideration, Mr..
McClain is perfectly satisfied with his
experiment, and so is his foreman, Mr..
Hogue. That is why Mr.. McClain is
so emphatic in his declaration that he
will pull no more fodder.
The 'stover," of which there will be
tons and tons, will be baled and pack
ed away as rapidly as practicable !;
hut with such a heavy crop as Mr..
McClain has on HAND, the work of
sbredding will probably require weeks.
So far the experiment looks like it is
complete success, and THE ENQUIRER
believes that it will he we'll worth the
while of farmers, especially those who
operate on pretty extensive scale, TO
give the whole matter careful inves-
tigation.
LOCAL LACONI CS.