Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-04-13
Iowa Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa.
Feeding Value of Soft Corn For Beef
Production.

4.
The Feeding Value of Soft Corn
for Beef Production, is the title of
bulletin No IS, just issued by the
Animal Husbandry Section of the
Iowa Experiment Station. The soft
corn problem has been serious
one, during the past two years, in
many sections of the central west
due to the early fall frosts which
affected the crop before it was mat
ure.
Much of the corn from a market
able standpoint was worthless. i
must either be fed to stock or allow
ed to rot in the fields. To the man
who grew fair acreage of corn for
his own feeding operations the mat
ter was easily solved. He could feed
it to his animals. With the grain
farmer and the stock feeder it was
different. One had been accustom-
ed to selling corn and the other was
a purchaser.
What was the value of soft corn?
This at once became q pertinent
question. 1t could not be eyaded.
The feeder had his feed lots full of
high-priced cattle, the grain farmer
had his fields of ofunmarketable corn.
Had it any feeding value? Some
men claimed that the frost changed
the composition making it practically
worthless. The chemist claimed
that the only difference between
soft corn and mature corn was the
water content, which was very much
greater in the former.
Requests from all over the state
for information along this line caus-
ed the Animal Husbandry section
to take up this matter, make the
practical feeding tests, supplement-
ed by chemical tests by the Station
chemist, and to gather such other
information which had direct
bearing on this subject as is report
ed in Bulletin No. 75.
The follow conclusions are deduct
ed from the results obtained;
l. That soft corn grown on the
college farm in 1902 and contain.
ing IS per cent of moisture at the
beginning. Of the test, pound fol
pound, on water free, or dry mat
ter basis, was fully equal in feeding
value to mature corn grown in l9Ot
when used for fattening cattle.
/ 2. That cattle fed on such sof
corn made nearly as heavy gains
and finished equally as well as those
fed on mature corn grown in 1900
3. That soft corn similar to tina
used in this test, could be purchas
ed for 30 cents per bushel, the pre-
vailing market price, gains on fat
tening cattle could be made at
cost 3.O3 cents per pound less tina,
when mature corn costing so cent
per bushel the prevailing marke
price, was fed under similar condi
tions. e.
4. That study of the Chicag
-flive stock market conditions fron
January l, 1908, to July 81, 1909
: shows conclusively that the compare
lively low prices Of beef cattle wa
. not caused by an over-supply of hal
. finished cattle. On the contrar
4 there was a larger number of wei
: finished cattle marketed during tina
4 period for 1908 than for the CORES
ponding period Of any one of til
J; past ten years.
= $. That the chemical analyse
u would indicate that the nutritiv
c value of the corn grown in 100
g compares favorably with matul
corn grown in other years whe
II water free substance or dry matte
II serves as basis Of comparison.
70 6. That the amount of moistul
< present was the main differences s
., far as composition is concerned
II, That the amount of moisture d
pends mainly on the corn whe
ye stricken by frost.
Il, AL parties desiring copy Of tn
N bulletin may secure the same
e. writing @. F. Curtiss, Director
el1owa Experiment Station, Anne