Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-10-06
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The Stock1nan's Column
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l
With regard to feeding corn and cob
meal there is wide difference of
opinion among feeders and much to
learn about this as well as many of
the other feeds used on the farm.
will say first of all that it will pay ex-
tremely well under certain conditions
and where the meal can be prepared
in an economical manner. The one
necessary article to have is good, sound
dry corn. The cob must not be wet
rotten or musty, as the meal prepared
from grain of this kind will have a
less feeding value with the cobs left
in than it will if they are taken out.
Having good, bright, sound corn, we
must now consider the expense Of pre-
pairing the meal. believe the only
practical way to manufacture cobmeal
is by heaving some heavy power locat-
ed at the feedyard, where the meal can
be made as fine as desired, and in
large quantities. 1t will take heavy
machinery and plenty of power to
make a good quality of cob meal, but
with the proper equipment, the ex-
pense may be brought down to 21s
cents per hundredweight of shelled
corn, of cents per hundredweight of
ear corn. The next question to arise is
whether the cob has any feeding val
ue. The best way of determining this
is by series of experiments in which
the effect of both feeds can be accu-
rately determined and the respective
gain made by each feed carefully not
ed. In my own experiments have
come to the conclusion. which is much
the same as that of nearly all feeders
throughout the west. who have made a
careful study of gains made by cob
meal.
In starting cattle on feed or in feed
ing stock cattle cobmeal is a much bet
ter feed than cornmeal. taken pound
for pound, and for this reason is worth
as much or more per hundredweig ht
as cornmeal But some one may ask,
How can that be when there is no
feed in the COBB" Are you entirely sure
OF that? They are using corncobs now
for many other purposes than pipes,
and actual experience is a good teach
er, especially in the feedyard There is
no place on earth where man must
use his eyes and mind in order to take
advantage of all sides of difficult
proposition as behind drove of cat
tie in the feedyard
All 2 or 8 year old cattle when start
ed on feed in this way consume for
quite time all or nearly all the ear
So the man who usually has the most
to say about the -uselessness of feed
ing cobmeal feeds ear corn, and his
cattle eat the cobs just the same. At
ter cattle have been fed on ear corn
for some time-siXty or ninety days,
they usually begin to shell off the
corn from the cob, thus making their
| feed little stronger. Now the man
who can feed meal gives his cattle
| a little better chance to eat fat quick
lily. BY grinding the corn ear and all
you add bulk to the feed, which is a
very necessary requirement in start
ing drove of cattle. Ii you use
| straight cornmeal you will add bran
OF some other bulky ration to
take the place of the cobs left out.
If you intend to use some by-pro-
duct to balance the ration, it is always
| best to add enough of this product at
| first in order to educate the appe-
lite, as they readily acquire liking
for these feeds if started when hun
| CRY. You now have a bulky mixed
i feed that for the first sixty days will
put on as much fat, pound for pound,
as. any food now known, if fed intel
/ ligently and with the proper rough
ness After this length of time it is
well to make the ration richer in corn
by adding shelled corn to the ear corn
when grinding.
Cattle in the feed yard are hard
worked animals and must be brought
to do their best work by proper feed
ing, the same as a trotting horse is
brought to do his best mile. They
must be gradually brought from the
Ecoarse grass pasture stage up to the
/ five to twenty-eight pounds a day OF
well.balanced, nutritious ration, and
4 convert it into beef at the rate OF
4 from three to four pounds per day. In
order to secure this condition there is
. no feed so well adapted for the first
/ sixty days as cobmeal.
4 In my judgment the cobs are useful
in several ways. First, they give bulk
to the feed and more readily, satisfy
craving appetite. Secondly, they
act as devisor, separating the corn
particles to certain extent, thereby
i allowing the gastric juices 10 peIteI
act on the food. Thirdly. the cob is
a great absorbent, and for that rea.
son takes up the moisture in the sys
TEN, preventing securing, at the same
4 time calling for plenty of water. Odd
feeders know that good feeding steer
must be good drinker as well as a
good feeder With these facts in view
that you get twenty pounds OF feed
equal in value to corn for cents
1 that for time it is just the kind OF
feed that you want, that it is no exper
i iment but proven fact, it only re
1 mains for the feeder to determine
! whether he can afford to put in the
i necessary machinery to make the
meal.
i A Death Blow to Malaria.
\ Electric Bitters kill and expel ma
| laria disease germs, will prevent ty
4 nhoid and cure fever and ague, or nc