Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-11-20
A Successful Feeder and Farmer.

A Successful Feeder and Farmer.
| l.. II. kerrick. of Bloomington, Ill,
| president of the American Aberdeen
| Angus Association holds the beef maxi
| ing record. fifteen head of 2-year- old
grades bred and fed by Mr.. Kerrick
having sold for $3.50 per hundred on
| the hoof-the highest price ever paid in
any market for a car load of cattle.
Not long since a Bloomington Panta-
graph reporter visited the kerrick farm
and his description of what he saw is
especially readable as we'll as instruct
i've.
Mr.. Kerrick cut up $50 acres of corn
this season and the fodder is saved in
the very finest condition. This was
cut by hand. A corn harvester has
been used on the farm until 1t is worn
out, but Mr.. Kerrick is not ready to
buy another because the machine
knocks too many ears from the stalks
and drops them on the ground. 1t
is much work to go all over the field
and pick up the fallen ears and there
are far too many of them to waste.
He preferred the hand work this year
and got a very good job done. but
this fodder has one disadvantage. 1t
is not bound in bundles and cannot
be handled as easily as the machine
harvested fodder.
Mr.. kerrick Is converting an old
double crib. 2Sx60 feet, into seed
corn house. This is done by making
tight board walls of lap siding, adding
three large ventilators at the ridge of
the roof. cutting out an inch crack be-
tween every other floor board and put
ting furnace in below. The corn Is
to be stored in bushel crates. and by
filling the former driveway as we'll as
the cribs which are all thrown into
one room, It is thought it will hold as
many bushels as before-5. 600. A good
draft will circulate through the corn
all of the time and the required de-
gree of heat may be applied as needed.
This costs much less than to put up
new building and may prove just as
good. Another story may be added
next year If needed.
Mr.. Kerrick has little over 1000
acres of corn, and of all this the poor
est is on 200 acres which has been
rented out for seventeen years for
cash and the yield of this will be close
10 ~ puSielS per etIiG CaS AiS'N VI
14O acres of Learning near the house
will average rs bushels per acre and
part of 1t will make more than so
bushels per acre. Other fields of
Leaning and OF white corn will yield
65 bushels per acre. Probably all his
corn will average fully 60 bushels per
acre. This is great corn as anyone can
see-remarkable corn. OF the most of
this corn 1t may be said that an acre
equals II to acres of such corn as
is raised on hundreds of central 1lli-
nois farms. And why? There are
more why's than one 1t Is great soil,
kept rich by stock raising and rotation
of crops, as only can be done with a
large proportion of grass. The most
improved seed is used. and more than
ordinary care taken in preparation OF
the ground and cultivation. And this
combination of causes. part of which
are under control of the farmer, have
made corn that can be raised profit
ably on 5000 or $500 an acre land. It's
worth seeing and worth bordering
over. There ia crib room on the place
for $1,000 bushels OF corn.
THE cattle never have the corn
stalk disease on this farm said Mr..
and then he told why. In
turning the cattle upon the cornstalks
at first they are accustomed to the
new feed very gradually. being allow
ed in the stalks but half an hour the
first time, and not more than an hour
or few hours at time for several
days. Then in every corn field ten
Or fifteen bushels of rye are sown. max
ing great patch of green stuff. which
the cattle will always eat along with
the stalks. This prevents the fatal
condition of overpacking the stomach
with the dry stalks beyond the capac-
Ity OF the digestive powers. This rye
has now made big growth and will
great deal of pasture as we'll
as a wholesome variety of feed all VIM
ter and spring.
Mr.. Kerrick believes that frost
which dries up the corn leaves will
make the corn lighter even If the ears
dry out we'll. There may be consid-
arable loss in weight in this way and
vet it be impossible to measure the
damage, and the farmer may not un-
ierstand that the frost has hurt his
corn. If the corn is too sappy when
The frost comes the ears will not dry
,ut and soft corn Is the result.
Preparing for tho International.
AS usual at this season the Christ
mas cattle are getting ripe on the
xerrick farm. There are four car
Dads of them and the choicest load
S going to the International. Twenty
me head have been separated from
he rest for this particular purpose and
he best fifteen head OF these will be
inally chosen for the great show. They
ire responding remarkably well to the
eed given. Mr.. Kerrick says they are