Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-10-08


Hampton, Oct. S.--Nore than the us
ual number Of farmers have this year
cut up part Of their corn crop for
fodder. In few fields the entire crop
Is cut; from three to ten acres In
three-fourths Of the fields of this vi
cinity would perhaps not be very far
from correct estimate Of the corn
i fodder area here this year. Scientific
authorities tell us that more than a
third of the feeding value OF corn is in
the stalk. If this is true the annual
waste in the cornfeds Of Iowa is
something enormous.
1t Is not many years ago that one
of the hands" at threshing time was
the boy who. with single horse,
"bucked" the straw from the machine,
leaving 1t scattered In small piles,
where 1t was afterward burned to get
II out OF the way. That sort of pro-
ceeding now would be almost any evil
dence of insanity on the part Of the
farmer practicing 1t, but it would not
compare with the loss which the aver
age corn raiser allows to take place
every year in his cornfield
With view of learning the reason
why more corn was not cut for fodder
have asked many of the best farmers
in this vicinity if 1t would not be prof
liable to cut all their crop each year,
devote most of the hay ground to pas
ture, and thus keep more stock on the
farm than is possible under the usual
management. 1t was expected that
good reason would be given about
the second time the question was ask
ed, but every man to whom the sub
ject was mentioned agreed that 1t
would pay, and ought to be done. Some
Of the older men said the work of
shocking was too hard for them to do,
and that 1t was very difficult to hire
help for that kind of labor. One told
how he noticed man one morning
walking past his. place carrying a grip.
He called to the fellow asking If he
wanted a job. The traveller answered
that he might take one. and inquired
what kind OF work it was. Shocking
corn fodder" answered the farmer.
That ended the conversation. The man
with the grip was beyond hearing dis
lance before his would-be employer
could say he would pay 50 and board
for the work.
From car window the other day
two adjoining cornf1elds were noticed
One of them was fenced with woven
wire. the other was not. A luxuriant
growth Of rape was in the former, and
AN equally abundant one Of foxtail in
the latter. Some hogs were getting
their living in the rape-s own field, and
cattle will later on find green feed
there after the grass season is past.
1t looked as tho the owner was getting
good interest on fis investment in
fence, labor and rape seed.
e. T. Rowe farmer living near here,
has cattle yard of about one third OF
IN acre, into which no stock is. turned
|. plowed it up and planted corn on the
round He has fully fifty bushels of
sound corn for his work, some forage,
md a clean yard for the coming win
ter.
One day last week a farmer drove
into his yard at noon from the field,
where he had been at work. The four
big bays which he proceeded to un-
hitch would weigh about 5000 pounds
and were unusually fine looking animals:
Il don't believe you will find anything
Just like this anywhere else in Frank
lin county, said the man. This one
is the mother, those three are her
colts" The mother was 81 years old,
the colts were 3, 4 and respective
ly. A promising 2-year-old colt Of
the same mare was in the pasture, and
three more of her colts had grown to
maturity on the farm and passed into
other ownership. Nothing strange In
the fact that the old mare has lit
tie better care than the rest of the
horses on that place.
s, One of the T-R. subscribers on a
mail route from here, resorts to unus-
ual methods to obtain the revenue
necessary to defray his newspaper and
telephone expenses. He is in the rab-
bit raising business on small scale
and finds it's profitable. One OF his
Dummies" reared an even hundred for
him within period of twelve
months. He finds a ready sale
for them at so to Is cents
"a pair at the age of three weeks. He
saws it has been limited to him Several
times that rabbit farming is pretty
small business for men, but for some
time 1T has not been necessary to draw
on any but the rabbit fund for pay
ment Of the accounts aforementioned.
c. E. WILSON.
-,.w VIM VIEW Il "R ~ II MMH