The progressive farmer and the cotton plant. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1904-1905, 1905-04-04


Nessrs. Editors: Slower is that Fart of the corn
plant that is left after the ears have been re-
moved There is enough of this material pro-
duced in North Carolina each year to supply
every head of neat-cattle in the State with thlr-
teen pounds per day throughout the year IhlS
stover has a high feeding value. In experiments
conducted few years ago by Director Waters OF
the Missouri Experiment Station, he found that
when coarse corn stover and timothy hay
each fed alone exclusive to lots of winterlng
steers that two tons of stover were equal IN
value to one ton of timothy hay. In another eX-
pertinent by the same authority, 1t was found that
when ton of corn stover was fed together with
an equal quality of clover hay to yearling steers
in the winter they were found to be fully equal
to two tons of timothy hay. The feeding value OF
this part of the crop runs to waste. IL
means a gross loss of ffty-six per cent of the
value of the corn crop something like eleven
million dollars of feeding material raised IN this
State of which only small per cent Is untlllzed
The stover crop of the State assuming 1T to be
worth eight dollars per ton and that each acre
produces on an average 1915 pounds, 1--WE consld-
er this estimated yield per acre and value per ron
Gf stover very conservative estimates), Is worth
over one and One-half times much as the total
value of all cattle in the State. The expense OF
harvesting and housing this stover could be de-
Quoted and still have an annual margin of clear
profit. if properly utilized of at least from two
to three or more million dollars to the farmers of
the State. This is a fact worthy of consideration
by all corn growers Can the farmers of the
State stand this waste much longer, especially
considering our small average animal yield OF
shelled corn per acres
Burning o. Corn Stalks.
The custom of burning corn stalks in the field,
which is practised to considerable extent In this
State, is an exceedingly unwise one. If all the
stalks of corn produced in the State each year
were burned, it would mean annual loss In nj
trOgen alone to the soil of about one dollar and
thirty cents per acre or total of three and half
million dollars for the entire State when this con-
stituent is given the average valuation-price it
cost farmers in mixed fertilizers last year. This
loss would be about one-half of the annual fertil-
lzer bill of the State. Not only is the nitrogen
lost when the stalks are burned, but the organic
matter is destroyed which is so essential for the
maintenance of the humus supply of the soil.
Without humus In a soil, the particles of the soil
run together during a rain and bake when the
sun comes out, so that most plants will suffer for
lack of moisture, Notwithstanding there may have
been optimum rainfall for growth a soil
that contained the proper content of humus and
was otherwise in proper physical condition. If
1t found on the other hand that chinch bugs
or some other noxious insects were harbOring In
the stalks of corn it will be advisable to burn the
stalks and supply humus by some other means be-
cause the chinch-bugs will do the following wheat
or corn crop more injury than the humus from
the stalks would benefit.
Amount Fertility N Bushel of Corn.
The commercial value of the fertilizing con-
Sutucnts in one bushel of shelled corn is worth