The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1901-10-04
News Of the, State.
CORN CROP is IMMENSE.
The Coarse Fodder Question Solved
i'm North Dakota.

The Coarse Fodder Question solved
I'm North Dakota.
TIE success Of the corn crop in this
state this season will, without doubt,
do more to revOlutionize the coarse fod-
der question in North Dakota than
might be supposed by the casual OBJ
server. The acreage was the largest
ever planted in the state, and the
amount sown in the northern and CEN
trail portions never approached even
what was sown this season, according
to the Grand Forks Herald. AS a re-
suit, there Is an immense amount of
corn fodder for the stock this winter,
and many farmers will ray more atten.
ton to butter making than they have
ever done in the past. Many of the cit.
les and larger towns of the state have
now reached such proportions that the
business of the dairyman is getting to
be very important industry. In the
past the fodder question has been a
very important one to them, and espe-
cially has this been true for the past
few years. In the early days there
was an abundance of wild hay to be
had gratis, and the cost of hay at that
time was simply the cost of putting it
up and hauling it, or having it hauled,
to the city. Of late, however, Wild hay
has been getting scarce. The farmers
have not been able to secure what they
needed themselvs, to say nothing Of
supplying the demand in the city. Hay
that was shipped in cost too much for
the city dairyman. and swallowed up
all the profits of the business.
During the past year or SO there has
been a tendency to SOW corn for fodder,
and the experiment has proved a sue
cess beyond the articipations of the
most sanguine. and another year the
acreage will be larger than it was this
season by at lease half. The dairy
men of Grand Forks are not only using
corn for fodder for the COWS, but have
demonstrated that silos are as practic-
able here as anywhere else. J. H. Bo-
sard. who has one of the largest daries
in the state, built the first large silo in
that section two years ago, and it has
proven a signal success from the start.
1t will be of very great interest to the
fa1 mers of this state, or at least the
northern halfsof it, to give few figures
as to the cost of the ensilage per ton.
Mr.. Bosard put the corn from sixty
acres in his silo. which has a capacity
of 4S0 tons, his corn yielding eight tons
to the acre, and the cost from the time
the corn was planted until it was in
the silO was as follows:
Per Acre.
Kent OF land. -. $50
Flowing. .:............ 1.2a
Planting and cultivation. ....... 2.25
Putting in silo.... .... ........ 500
Total per acre. .$l2.OO
AS eight tons of corn We're cut per
acre, this makes the cost of the ensil-
age $3.50 per ton. These figures have
been revelation to the few who have
inquired as to the cost. as it was gen.
orally supposed that the expense would
be at least twice that figure per 'ton.
The amount OF ensilage in the silo is
more than enough to feed sixty cows
for a year. allowing big rations, and
many who have experience in that line
in other states say the 4S0 tons will feed
forty cows for year and give each an
abundance. Mr.. Bosard further states
that. if proper ground is selected. at
least twelve tons of fodder can be
raised to the acre. and with his past
experience as a guide. he says he is
certain that he will raise that amount
another year if the season is fairly IA
vorable.
There is no question but what corn
raising on an extensive scale in the sec
ton of country around Grand Forks
will be a long stride in the right direc-
ton. It will mean that more attention
will be paid to dairying. The ground
on which corn is raised one year will
raise an immense crop of wheat or 9TH
er grain the next, and the weeds will be.
kept down, making the land far less
foul than it would otherwise be. In
addition. the increased number of cat
tie kept would result in the land being
kept richer by the manure resulting.
1t would be an important step on the
part of the farmer in getting away
from the single-crop idea, and would
make him less dependent on wheat and
would give him work the year around,
instead of for q few mouths as at the
present time, with no work to do
aside from chores during the winter
months. It would mean better barns
and buildings Of all kinds. and great
err, degree of prosperity than has ever
been experienced in the Red River val
ley.
Some may say that there may be fail
ures here at times in the corn crop.
This is both possible and probable, but
it is also true III what are termed the
corn states. During the past three
years, however, there has not been
failure of corn. and the idea that corn
cannot be raised successfully in North
Dakota and the Red River valley has
been exploded.
Fell Into II Separator.
Casselton, N. D., Sept. %. = A dis
tressing accident happened last night
on the Frank Fix farm to Charles