Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-08-27
Estimates For Three-Fourths of
Corn Crop Too Large For
Some Sections of Iowa
With Partial Failure, Renters Pre-.
pare to Quit High Priced Farms
Experience of Various Farmers With
s,los-c. e. Wilson's Rural obser.
vations.
Special to Times-Ropublican.

Special to Times Republican.
Parkersburg. Aug. GA week of
driving thru the country in this local.
ity is sufficient to convince one that
the man who estimates the Iowa corn
crop this year at three-fourths, or even
two thirds the usual average. lsnt
basing his prediction on the outlook IN
south Butler and north Grundy coun-
ties. If the majority of farmers in
that territory could persuade them
selves that they had any chance Tor
half a crop OF sound corn they would
feel better in regard to the prospect
than they do. Many think there VIII
not be more than 20 per cent OF d nor
NAL yield, and unless the weather con-
ditions OF the next four or hVe weeks
are very favorable a considerable acre
age will never be husked. oats, Wille
light are a fair crop. Those VINO nave
threshed report twenty to thirty push
els per acre. Destructive hail storms
have materially reduced the average
yield, as they have occurred IN nuner-
GUS places in the county The serious
ness of the situation is Illustrated by
the statement of local auctioneer thas
about twenty-five tenant farmers nave
announced to him their intention 10
hold a public sale early next winter,
and leave what is certainly one of the
best farming districts in this part OF
the state because rent is SO high that
even partial crop failure means
financial disaster.
About a year ago, Mr.. w. A. Brown,
an enterprising farmer living on
Parkersburg mail route, decided to
build a silo on one of his farms. The
company with which he contracted to
erect the structure advised agitating
the silo question further in his LOCALITY,
with view of building more of them,
and the result to present date is ABOUT
twenty or twenty-five of them within
a radius of half a dozen miles, ana
more now in process of erection. En-
silage is a popular feed In this, Vlcinlty,
and the results of last winters expert
ments by those who fed 1T to their
stock were gratifying in every case.
The silos are made of plank and
have capacity of 100 to $50 tons. Inc
filling of them involves the use of the
corn binder and of cutter PROVIDED
with powerful blower which forces
the cut corn fodder into the building
thru the opening at the top. A cutter
run by a 14-horse power engine, WIN
a force of a dozen men where the maui
is not too long, will fill a lOO-ton s,io
in one A.ay 1t is said that with 500
invested In a cutter man can afford
to cut ensilage for his neighbors at 2O
cents per ton. 1t is not alone the own
ers of the larger farms that have built
the silos that have been put up mere.
Some of them stand on eighties ana Inc
owners of them feel that they have
solved the problem of cornstalk utiliza-
ton by the best method that has yet
been discovered.
Charles Munger, who built silo
last fall, put into it six acres of corn
which yielded about so tons OF enslage.
Without figuring anything for labor ex-
pense. as he changed work" with his
neighbors, it cost him $40 to harvest
the corn and get it into the silo. From
this he fed thirty head Of cattle four
months with no additional ration ex-
cept a little hay. He declares that
$500 would not induce him to part with
his silo if he could not replace it with
another C. j. Philo, New Hartford
farmer, is another man who fed en-
silage last winter He put 100 tons OF
corn into his silo and beginning the
latter part of November fed sixty
head of cattle, big and little, for one
month on ensilage alone. Thereafter
until the middle Of May he fed what
was left to sixteen mich cows and
fifteen yearlings, giving them in addi-
ton a small feed of hay, but no grain.
He sold the milk from the COWS and
his monthly checks averaged $50. Be-
sides the cattle he fed fifteen brood
sows all winter, giving them nothing
else, and they kept in first class con-
dition. Another man claims that the
increase in the milk yield of eighteen
cows for period of five months when
kept on enslage ration paid him for
$500 silo he had erected. The stuff
begins to ferment as soon as it is put
in and continues to do SO all winter
and is therefore warm even in the
coolest weather. According to the
statements of those who have fed 1t
one scoop shovelful is as much as an
animal can eat at feed and the idea
that handling it is a cold job in win
ter is declared to be erroneous. Every
particle of it is eaten, there being no
waste whatever.
O. r., WILSON,