Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1904-04-07
Feeding Value of Soft Corn For
Beef Production.

"The feeding value OF soft corn for
beef production" is the title of bulle-
tin No. rs, just issued by the Animal
Husbandry Section of the Iowa Ex-
pertinent Station. The soft corn prob
lem has been serious one, during
the past two years, in many sections
of the central west due to to the early
fall frosts which affected the crop be-
fore it was mature.
Much of the corn from marketable
stand point was worthless. 1t must
either be fed to stock or be left to rot
in the fields. To the man who grew a
fair acreage of corn for his own feed
ing operations the matter was easily
solved. He could feed it to his ami
mails. With the grain farmer and the
stock feeder it was different. One had
been accustomed to selling corn the
other was a purchaser
What was the value Of soft corn?
This at once became a pertinent ques-
ton. 1t could not be evaded. The
feeder had his feed lots full of high
priced cattle, the grain farmer had his
fields of unmarketable corn. Had it
any feeding value? Some men claim
ed that the frost changed the compos-
ition, making it practically worthless.
The chemist claimed that the only
difference between soft corn and ma
ture corn was the water content,
which was very much greater in the
former.
Requests from all over the state for
information along this line caused the
Animal Husbandry section to take up
this matter, make the practical feed
ing tests, supplemented by chemical
tests by the station chemist, and to
gather such other information which
had direct bearing on this subject
as is reported in bulletin No. 10.
The following conclusions are de-
Quoted from the results obtained:
/. That soft corn grown on the
college farm in 1902 and containsng
IS per cent of water at the beginning
of the 4est; pound for pound on a
water free, or dry matter basis, was
fully equal to mature corn grown In
1900 when used for fattening cattle.
2. That cattle fed on such soft corn
made nearly as heavy gains and fin
ished equally as we'll as those fed on
mature corn grown in 1900.
3. That when saft corn similar TO
that used in this test, could be pur-
chased for 30c per hushel, the pre-
vailing rrice, gains on fattening cattle
conld be made at a cost of 1903 cents
per pound less than when mature corn,
costing so cents per bushel, the pre-.
vailing market price, was fed under
similar conditions.
4. That study of Chicago live stock
market conditions from January l,
1903, to July 81 1908, shows conclusive.
ly that the comparatively low prices
of beef cattle was not caused by an
over supply of half finished cattle
On the contrary there was larger
number of we'll finished cattle market
ed dur. ing that period for 1903 than
for the corresponding period OF any
one of the ten past years.
5. That tbs chemical analyses
would indicate that the nutritive value
of Goa grown in 1902 compares favor
able with mature corn grown in other
years when water free, substance OF
dry material serves as basis of com
parison. 49,
6. That the amount. of moisture
present was the main differences sc
far as composition is concerned
That the amount OF moisture depends
mainly on the maturity of the corr
when stricken by frost.
All parties desiringa copy OF thi,
bulletin may secure the same by writ
ing G. f. Curtiss, Director of lows
] Experiment Station Ames, Iowa.