The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-08-07
AgriCnltures
INV TO USE THE CORN CR

-..r rs,r of The Progressive Farmer.
:. roas without saying that every
-oor reader of The Progressive
r,rmer EN- will try, at least, to raise as
~.b corn as he can use, or needs to
- in the family and among his
Ioct This should be we'll filled and
rra5 and nolr is the time to determine
ITO pull tie fodder too soon, if at
dH
Why pull it at all? This has been
sized in Bulletin No. 1O4, N. G. Agri-
.rItrlral Experiment Station. Ifyou
have not seen that little four page
rsn2hlet. send a postal to the Di-
,aotor Of the Station for a copy be-
hre you pull your fodder, and an
srpr to your COWS and mules why
,or will continue the old process or
te1 them what to expect from
change.
But if you do not pull, what are you
70 do forage? Why, save more of
he corn crop than ever before at no
greater expense and have cheaper
md possibly better forage than you
have averaged in years past, while
in quantity you can count on double
and perhaps quadruple the crop of
forage as you have realized on an
average for ten years from the same
or proportional areas.
HOW TO SAVE THE FODDER.
Either top the stalks just above
the ears and pull the lower leaves as
soon as the ears are we'll filled and
glazed, or cut close to the ground
lnd shock after lying on the ground
day to wilt. Then after standing
we'll made shocks, shuck out the
ars, leaving all the shucks on the
talks except the inner ones on the
best, dryest, and most typical ears,
which will be laid aside and traced
ua at night and hung in a dry safe
lie place for next year 5 seed.
To cut corn, our plan now several
fears old. Is to use a hoe kept sharp
with a file. Cut off the handle
twenty to thirty inches long to suit
the height of the user and file on the
inner side to a chisel edge. Cut two
rows at time and do not make the
piles. or gavels, too large to take all
up at one time. If the crop is heavy
and little green these should be
turned and dried more before shocked
|r stuked.
This last operation is done best by
use of d wooden ''hOrse" made of a
pole Is or 20 feet long with the large
end mounted on two legs three to
five feet high, depending on the
height of the corn, which stand out
we'll and with a rod five or six feet
long thrust loosely through hole
bored horizontally thu Ough the pole
i've or six feet behind the legs. Tie
the shocks securely abOvesthe ears
and again near the top after pulling
over the tassels so as to increase its
r1n-sLedding qualities.
After shucking out the corn, if
the stalks are real dry haul to shelter
Or stack but if not dry reshOck for
another week or two. These stalks
with ohucks, and leaves-fOdder-
still on them should be handled with
cjre. They are about an even half,
Or rather more than half, of the
crop. IL we'll dried (and it is not
best to handle in this way until they
are dry it is best to put them
lrou-l a shredder. Few farmers
can afford a shredder or have
hand enough round to run one
We'll. But IA neighbOrhOOd might
own one in cooperative partnership
Or til. Ghresher man might be pre-
vailed on to take one along on his
rpsani shred corn as we'll as thresl
o0t gram If whole neighbOrhooC
vannor agree on joint ownership
'Den two or three could secure corn
'Shr,l from others and make wages
whist making the machine pay fol
Itself.
Il corn is topped there is less need
'OF The shredder, through it can be
oseo t. some advantage ON this kinC
forage. We would cut it for some
Soch, and for horses if fed ON il
Iore than once daily. One time al
ISht this should be fed whole or as
harvested.
Inc latter system may come to be
's"fued as the best for two mair
,'aSonS. The first is that it may be