New Ulm review., 1901-08-28
CORN FOR FODDER
Corn Plant more Available now than Ever
Before. Its Value Compared
With Hay.
BY SUPERINTENDENT o. c. GREGG
OF the State Farmers Institute. Corn
Fodder Is the Timothy of the
Northwest.

The old adage that circumstances
alter cases. has many applications in
agriculture. Every farmer who opened
farm in the early days of Minnesota
knows that he had much to learn before
he found out what some Of the best
things were to do. Among these many
things is the knowledge which has come
to him concerning the value of the corn
crop in Minnesota, and how to use it.
In the early day it was simply the grain
alone. Even then that crop was consid-
cred doubtful one. Iowa was quoted
as the corn state, and Minnesota's corn
was considered to be as unreliable as
peach crop. This was true to our per-
sonal knowledge IL southern Minnesota,
where today the crop of corn is consid-.
cred as substantial as any other crop,
that is grown. When we first came to
southwest Minnesota the same opinion
prevailed, but now great fields of corn
testify to the faith which farmers have
In this corn crop of Minnesota. We
have been travelling over the state for
something like fifteen years, and have
witnessed that change in which corn has
extended in area from southern Mime
sofa almost to its northern boundary,
and from its eastern border to its west
ern boundary line. Many of the readers
of Review may not know that the crop
as fodder plant is getting to be great
factor in the Red river valley of the
north.
For long time after the farmers grew
Corn crop they considered that the val
ue of it consisted in the ear. The stalks
were lett standing, to be broWsed lit
tie by the cattle in the late fall and win
| ter months, with little or no benefit to
the stock, barring, it may be, the rough
exercise which they got out of tramping
through the fields. Today 1t is far dit
ferent. There are multitude of farm
ers in Minnesota who know that while
the ear and grain are good, the stalk also
upon which that ear was borne has good
feeding value.
| Most of the older settlers of Minneso-
ia came from the New Englsnd and east
ern states, where the hay crop was a
great factor in stock raising. Timothy,
or herds grass, as we'll as clover, were
the standbys in stock growing. 1t Is 80
there yet for the abundance of rainfall
make these crops to be heavy ones, al
most any year. AS we go westward
where the rainfall is lighter and where
drought sometimes dwells, then the tim
othy crop in particular becomes an un-
certain factor as cattle food. Under
such circumstances we have found from
careful experience, and such experience
Is in conformity with the NEST careful
investigation by trained agriculturalists
that corn fodder becomes the substitute
plant for timothy. With this fact in
view we can let loose our hold upon the
i timothy plant, place our reliance upor
corn fodder, and know that we can grow
many mere tons per acre of this newly
recognized fodder plant than than the
New Englander can grow of timothy
with his great abundance of rain. W.
have frequently said that the corn plan
is the timothy plant of the great middle
west.
| For long time we were seriously
handicapped in securing the cornplan
for fodder. It took a good man with
not only strength but also with skill tt
handle the corn knife and put up IN the
schock one acre of corn per day. It wa
hard work. This work had to be dom
W1tHlu d CSILdlu Bliuc ClSc TIC lICSl C6lu'
and the corn fodder was ruined. Th
time was short between the ripening o
the corn and the frost period. When
farmer owned large field of corn b
was practically unable to gather tina
crop which was SO valuable to him i
time so as to make it available as fodde
for his stock.
I shall never forget the interest wit
which / looked upon the display of th
Deering Harvester Co., when at th
worlds fair, Chicago. There, for th
q first time, saw what was claimed to b
a corn harvester. After the expositio
was over called at the Deering Ha,
4 vester works and enquired concernin
the prospect. They frankly told me th'