St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-10-10
.FARMERANDP PLANTER.
sHREDING CORN STALKS.
A North Carolina Farmer Who
Doesn't Believe In II With Elk.
plantations I'm Its Favor.


A North CarOlinn Farmer VIII
Doesn't believe In II with Exc
pIanati0ns I'm Its Favor.
| A correspondent writes: Il hav'
been a reader of your paper for SOM
ume, ana think 1t gooo agriculture
paper, and that you are doing q goot
work for farmers Of the south. l hav'
been farming for half a century, and
have some experience in that line. Il
your last issue think you put toe
great stress. and magnified the SAVING
and shredding of corn stalks beyond
their true value. That shredded corn
stalks have some value as food Tor
stock / admit, but all the value is IN
the blades and shucks-the hard stalh
and pith is no good and stock will no,
eat it. True it does for bedding, but II
is rather expensive bedding. Farmers
can get plenty Of bedding for stock
without the trouble and expense Of
shredding It,. You say that cutting
down the corn stalk does not hurt the
corn. Il this Is so, 1t is strange. Cut
down a tree, or sprout, or weed, or any
other plant, and 1t instantly withers
and shrinks away. Is the corn plant
an exception? We know that all the
nutriment a plant gets comes from the
root, and # this is cut OF 1t dies and
shrinks up. A neighbor who runs .
gin and mill says he can tell corn that
has been cut and shredded as soon a.
he puts it il the mill It is light and
chaffy, and not solid like corn that has
stood -until tie grain is hard and fully
matured. He has tried shredding, and
says "a man should not cut his corn
and shred 1t, IL he would do it for
nothing"
''You say tie crop Of corn stalks is
worth as much as the corn, and as
much as cottonseed. I for one do not
believe it. Corn stalks, taking OF the
blades and shucks, is worth no more
than cotton stalks, and should be left
Oh the land for humus. True they will
not make muck humus, but they are
worth more for that than anything
else.
again, you say 'shredders are not
expensive Well, to run shredder
you must have a steam engine, and the
outfit costs more than the average
farmer is able to afford. II farmers
would plant or SOW their corn land In
peas and then NOW 1t after they gath
er the corn, they. would have plenty
of better hay than shredded corn
stalk.
II regret to differ with you on this
matter, but with my experience and
the light before me. prefer the old
way r. H. HARRIS.
Pineville, N. G.
Stuck fast in the old rut. i Our cor
position Is rather pecul-
lar. The shredding OF corn is valued
because it prepares the stalk for food
as well as the blade, and thus very
greatly increases the quantity of food.
Experiments and analysis both show
that the stalk Is equal in feeding value
to the blades and shucks. Expert
ments also show, that when the sherd-
ding is properly done, the stock eat
stalk and all. And further. that they
work and fatten on shredded. hay as. !
we'll as on other kinds. Sometimes the
Is not well done or the feed |
Ing is not properly proportioned, and
then stock leave some In the troughs. l
But this is not the case when the work
IS well and rightly done. l
We have the experience Of hundreds |
which show that it IL fully equal to |
other kinds OF hay. sss
AS to the cutting OF the corn stalk |
ujuring the corn, we wish to say that l
t does not do so If 'cut at the right |
ime The corn should stand until the
odder or blades are well ripened-A |
veek later than you would pull fod-
Ter, until the grains are well glazed.
We will explain how 1t is that the
cutting does not injure or make the
rain lighter. 5 3S'aa
The roots Of corn take the crude sap
rom the earth or soil and send 1t
through the stalk to the blades. The
'lades are the workshop Of plants.
1ere, by the aid of sunshine and chlo-
ophyl this crude sap Is worked over
The food elements are extracted and
emit each to their proper place. The
God suited to the roots is sent back
o them. The food suited to the diff
erent parts Of stalk growth is sent
ach kind to its proper place. The
pod suited to making the grain is sent
0 the grain. No mistakes are made
a this wonderful work.
Now II you take OF the blades Of
orn or leaves Of any plant you stop
his work st once. Hence corn grains
G not fill out after the fodder Is
ulled. $3.50
But If you will examine a corn stalk
on will find that at the time we say
ut your corn for shredding the little Il
air-like feeding roots are dead and
i'll not send any more sap to the
ladies', hence there Is NO damage done
y cutting the stalk just above the
BOTS.
Again 1t is q law Of plant life that
you injure or wound the plant all Its Ii
negries are at once directed to hasten
lg the productions and maturing of
sed Thus in this case as soon as you
ut the corn stalk every energy of its
eing is used to hasten the filing of
le grains. And as the leaves or blades
re still on the stalk, this work goes
rapidly as they die. This is 10
onderfully done that the corn will be
eavier than If you pulled the fodder
nd left the stalk standing. Not only
Zig hut numerous careful nxror,,ra,,+.