The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-12-09
CORN HARVEST.
Handling Corn to Get Full Value
From Grain and Fodder.


Handling Corn to Get Full Value
From Grain and Fodder.
Not until recently has so much value
been attached to corn fodder, but now
with higher priced hay, that may be
baled and shipped, and with the corr
shredder and its most valuable product
shredded fodder, the crop of corn
throughout the corn growing districts
Is carefully harvested.
Nowadays we see but few fields Of
corn left standing to be husked from
the stalk, but it is neatly cut up and
tied into shocks to be husked later on
in the season that it may be preserved
for winter feeding.
Figuring on the Fodder.
Upon our farm we begin at planting
time to figure upon the coming fodder
crop as well as its output of corn. With
a crop of this kind to handle we must
expend a great amount of labor. and il
the crop exceeds the force Of workmen
danger from frosts and overripened
fodder must be the result.
This we obviate to a certain extent
by planting our fields so that week
to ten days intervene in their ripening,
giving us the advantage of cutting the
crop in its proper state of ripeness with
our own farm force, thus enabling US
to do it much cheaper.
We know there is a great amount of
the corn crop harvested each year very
much too green. This, of course. makes
very nice fodder, with it's green, fresh
~ ar.lr ot ct1 htIt 10
not the best of feed Properly ripen.
ed fodder is much more valuable, while
the quality of the corn is very much
better
As soon as the crop is in the proper
stage for handling, all other farm labor
Ia laid aside in order to care for it, fof
we have learned that the sooner the
fodder is placed in shock after it has
reached it's proper stage of ripeness the
more valuable 1t is as feed.
Cutting and Storing.
Our corn ground is usually sowG IN
wheat after the corn We usually
place the corn in shocks of by PA
hills, making 40 hills stored in each.
This plan makes the seeding of the
ground very easy, and when the corn
Is removed later in the season the va
cant strips are either sown in wheat Or
left until spring and filled in with oats
in order to keep down the growth of
weeds
Our corn that is shredded into the
mows at the barn is usually cut in
much smaller shocks, not over 100 hills
at the most. for we want it to cure out
rapidly in order that it may be shred
ded and stored as soon as possible.
If the shocks must stand for any
length of time out in the field they
should be made much larger. Some
seasons we. have cut our entire crop up
In shocks of IA hills, or twelve hills
square, with good results in curing. If
the shocks are securely tied about the
tops as soon as put up. they will stand
all winter or until husked out with
but little damage from the weather.
The greater part of our crop in late
years is put into the barn or stack as
rapidly as the weather will permit.
The Way ON One Farm.
This season we shall have several
hundred shocks OF corn to care for at
shocking time. and we expect to haul
t all into the barn upon the low down
wagon and husk it out there. We have
4 sling that is easily attached to our
hay rope. and by the aid of the team
we hoist our fodder very easily to the
topmost part of the mows. This not
,nly saves Us much hard la Dor ut pitch
ng, but enables us TO fill our barn to
is fullest capacity.
In conclusion, Farm and Fireside
writer. whose views are given in the
foregoing paragraph. afiirms that when
he farmer learns to attach an equal
ralue to the slower portion as to the
grain portion of this crop there viii lie
out little need of any lecturing upon
he care and storage of the corn crop.