Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-11-17
Wide Disparity in Views of
Farmers and Stock Grow
ers in Iowa
A GOOD PROFIT EITHER WAY
Corn Sure to Bring Good Price and
Well matured Stock Will Be in Big
Demand-Feedins Experiment Near
Alden Being Observation-Disclosures
Rural Observations. !
Special to rimes-Republican.

Alden, Nov. 1.-THE question will
and cattle to finish this year, or turn
them off unfinished and sell the corn?'
is the most important problem that
confronts the farmer Of this part of
the country at the present time. Some
have arrived at decision and have
either sold their marketable stock or
else begun to feed, according to the
conclusion reached after studying crop
reports, drawing on past experiences
and listening to the advice of others
who really knew no more about the
matter than themselves. One man
says: Look at that bunch Of shoats.
Do you think I can possibly lose out
by feeding them good sound corn such
as / have raised this year? Others are
selling little thin pigs that ought to be
kept until they are matured and fat
tened. I'll have mine ready about the
time the scarcity of hogs is realized.
Crop reports Indicate no shortage in
corn and many will be disappointed
in having to take less than half dol
lar a bushel for grain which they ex-
pect to sell at a price much higher
than that. I'm going to feed" The
very next man down the road de-
clares. that it is sure loss to feed this
year; knows of several states in which
the corn crop is short; says that it's
TO i,,J 1,,yf
Of central Iowa: has heard from many
localities where disease has inflicted
untold loss on stock raisers, and does
not propose to take any chances HIM
self this year. 1t is this difference Of
opinion that will, in all probability, re-
suit in enough grain being marketed to
supply the demand, at a price not ex-
orbitant, and at the same time result
in enough feeding so that there will be
meat enough to go round as usual,
even If not all of us can afford to have
it on the table three times day.
An experiment in cattle feeding that
will be watched with interest by many
of his neighbors will be made this win
ter by ]. T. Lusher, on his farm ives.
of Alden. Mr.. Lusher has put up 9.
130-ton silo, the only one thus far in
this vicinity, filled it with a mixture
of corn and sorghum in the proper
ton of three parts the former to one
of the latter, and will feed thirty
pounds per day to each head Of the
carload of steers and heifers in his
yard. Glover hay and one-half bushel
of corn to each animal, will complete
the daily ration of these cattle, the first
to be fed in this manner in this part
of the country. The corn and cane
were drilled in together on an eight
acre field and an outfit Of ten men.
including engineer and man to feed
the cutter, and five teams, filled the
silo in two days. In erecting the silo
some original methods were used.
First a circular trench two feet deep
and a foot wide was dug and filled
with a mixture Of "nigger-heads," con-
crete and cement. Next the dirt so en-
closed was excavated, the remaining
wall lined with a coat Of cement and
a floor constructed. The building
erected thereon is thirty feet high and
sixteen feet in diameter. The total ex-
pense Of the silo complete was some-
what less than $500.
Some idea Of the quality of the corn
raised in this locality this year may
be inferred from the fact that as early
as Nov. z, farmer who had filled his
cribs shelled, out 1000 bushels and
hauled it to an elevator. The man who
did the work declared that it was, very
little different from Smelling old corn
and that the weight Of the corn was