The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-07-11
FORAGE CROPS FOR COWS.

c. c Moore, of Mecklenburg County.
"There is a something that draws a
man to dairy work; that it is that in
duces ones one to stick to a work that
is 80 exacting and that requires 365
days work each IL months, counting
Sundays, Thanksgiving, Goth of May,
July 4Sh, Christmas and New Years.
do not know what holds us, but it is
true that once man gets into work he
is prisoner for life.
''I as a boy spent my days selling
goods and book keeping. During my
business life at merchandising had
the financial man agement for five
years Of firm doing business Of
1920, 600 yearly; at times thought it
impossible to pull through panick
years and while doing this work I
thought it the hardest to manage to a
success of anything should ever at
tempt. That was easy compared to
my work for the past nine years. I
have found more tight places to pull
over in little dairy business, aggre-
eating IS 900 per year, and harder
work to get over them than found in
all my former occupations; because of
the multitude of leaks found in dairy
work. At one time had employed a
young man from Devonshire, England
one ugly night in February.
The young fellow was correct.
Dairying is an expense from January
to January and the man who is not
watchful will find that his milk has
leaked away.
lone great cost of this work is feed
ing. A dairyman must study the feed
question and just as long as he makes
all food needful there is hope Of sue
cess. To buy COW food to produce milk
or butter will break quite rich man.
"Whst shall man plant to produce
food for milk cows9 speak only from
experience, so far as feeding for milk
is concerned. Butter making may re
quire different feeding I do not make
butter, go cannot speak on that line.
Corn is my favorite, it is at home
and will produce more COW feed on any
land than any plant have tried. We
plant every week or ten days from
March 1st to August let if land is in
condition.
''Our first planting in March is Of
improved Golden dent and Gentry
Early Market. Either variety will
grow to good feeding condition in 80
days. O wing to the wet spring we did
not plant this year until April 221.
Gentry planted that day is now ready
to tG yeI out although the land has not
been wet since planted. We spend
much time preparing land for crops
and think the extra work is good pay.
"Plant with drill in rows 81 feet;
plants in drill 6 to 10 inches. When
land will work the Thomas harrow is
dragged over every week until corn is
6 inches high. If rain falls the haz-
row is run over as soon as land dries
enough to hold up horse, after cul-
ture is with Globes c1ltivator unless
by reason of rain the grass starts on
row; small plo Y is then used to cover
the grass.
I'VE try to plant corn every Satur-
day. This plan gives soiling for COWS
from July 1st to November 1st; to feed
we cut 3 or inches from ground with
a short handle hoe, at barn we cut to l
inch length and feed about 2 bushels to
COW daily. II weather is favorable
the corn harvester is used for half day,
cutting en- ough to feed 10 days.
sometimes a lot will ripen faster
than we feed, we cut and shock for
winter feeding.
Corn for sIlo is planted very much
as for soiling except that we plant to
10 quarts soy beans per acre in same
rows with corn at last working. Peas
OF running variety are sown. The corn
harvester clips every thing on the row
so that we get for the silo corn, beans,
peas, weeds and Means grass. Where
other farmers would strip fodder we
cut for silo finding silage from corn
nearly ripe to be b9tter for milk max
ingthat that cut at roasting ear stage. If
we had to give up all forage plants ex
cept one, and had to choose that one,
corn would be our choice.
"a variety is best, however, and We
project with a lot of forage plants. For
summer no food we have found is bet
ter than sorghum. Cows are fond of
it, the milk is sweetest l ever drank,
the crop is easy grown, not at all
checked by drought and if planted in
April two feelings are had from one
planting.