Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-10-31
SOFT CORN IS NOT FATrENlNe
Steers Do Not Thrive and Increase in
Weight oh Soft Corn Diet. Besides II
Takes Too Many Bushels to Make
Feeding Profitable-collese Expert.
msnts and Farm Practice Differ.
Special to Times Republican.

depressed do not seem to vary much
lin the bulletin issued it stated that
1.-THE soft corn contains the portion
which was most needed to produce fat
and that by feeding 20 per cent addi-
tional corn 1t would produce the same
result as good, dry, sound corn. This
was hailed by all as q blessing for their
soft corn would be worth more than
they thought possible. Already all over
the section OF Iowa which travel the
feed yards are full of cattle and hogs
to be fed from this crop Of soft cornand
1.-The actual experience of men feeding
does not bear out the bulletin issued
from the Arnes school. Many men for
the first time are feeding q carload OF
steers and the result as yet can not
he foretold only guessed at. The gem
eral expression being that prices Will
rule lower. and that this feeling is not
local but general Is shown from the
following from the Drover's Journal:
Just why farmers are rushing in so
many thin, light stock cattle at pres
ent is puzzle to many persons closely
identified with the trade. There is an
abundance OF feed Of all kinds. yet 9
strong disposition prevails to get rid
| of the stock before cold weather sets
In. It certainly looks as II much Of
this thin stock which is being sacrificed
at the lowest prices of the year would
make good bargains for somebody. The
trouble is with q good many stock
raisers that they are afraid OF the
future and generally made sacrifices
when 1t is mostly to their disadvantage
to do so. More thin light stock cattle
are coming to market now than have
come at any time this year, but as
winter draws nearer 1t is possible that
the supplies will increase even more"
In talking with Cyrus Hayes, at To-
ledo. one OF the prominent feeders.
on the soft corn question, he stated
There Is a wagon load of corn which
in an ordinary year would feed that;
bunch for three days. but Is
now consumed in one day and
they are still hungry. This
is the verdict OF dozens OF men.
One man who bought a bunch of steers
at $4.75 got scared and contracted
them Jan. LIST delivery at $5.25. This
is sure to bring him a loss. according
to the figures of many.
AS this year steer weighing LOO
pounds on full feed will eat one-halt
to three quarters of a bushel day and
only increase in weight from one-half
to two and one half pounds. the
general complaint is that by the time
an animal will eat sufficient Of this
years corn to make good growth
he will scour SO that his feed has to be
cut down, thus stopping the growth.
The Ames bulletin advises the feeding
OF oats, and other small grains in con-
nection with corn to counteract this
effect, but great many only raise
enough small grain for home consump-
ton and good deal Of the small grair
this year is SO poor that nothing but
a very hungry animal will eat 1t, hence
no good for fattening.
I have been told dozen times ths.t
the bulletins issued by the college at
Ames are of but little value to farmers
because their experiments ar con-
Quoted with only the best grades of
stock and are stanchion fed and their
ways are vastly different in practice
from the ordinary farmers. AS one
farmer put it-"They will take
q bunch Of steers, and put
them in the stancheon and |
will feed each one separately, and
ii any one Of them shows a disposition
tc get off feed, or in any way OFF, he is |
treated separately, while q farmer runs
his all together and If anything goes
wrong he doesn't have the chance thatl
they do at the school" One farmer
went SO far as to say that he had fol-
lowed their instructions. but was un-
able to produce fat cattle at profit.
To the outsider this seems queer that
Iowa, the best agricultural state in the
union, would have an experimental sta
ton whose bulletins arc of little value
to the farmer. Yet some of the very
best farmers say that their own experi-
ence and ways of feeding produce bet
ter results than those recommended by
the station.
That many men have difference Of
opinion in regard to the value OF this
soft corn is shown from the fact that in
tais county live two farmers who are
bOh good feeders. One of them has a
large number of cattle in his yard, while
the other is not feeding any, and the
che with the cattle is buying the others
seft corn to feed his cattle on. One
prominent feeder is offering 20 cents
husnl Goo pounds) for snapped corn,
as II rms, while his neighbors are pay
Ing 81 tents for sorted good corn of
eighty Ponds.
A stock Dyer as well as feeder, who
usually goes &kansas City at this time
of the year and,,uys, is figuring on get
ting some missouri land and shipping
there to feed as Sgainst feeding soft
corn here.
In connection with to feeding conoae I,
.up again the value of til, yarions stncl
foods which are offered " the MANY
manufactures. The expeF.lental sta
ton has had it's try and reAdarad IL I,
decision, which was very muca against
the stock foods, yet you will flhd many ,
d man today who tells you that he |,