Milford chronicle., 1912-10-11
FEEDING CORN FODDER

aipi By-FTouuCt6 OF kue 2 drus
'rrIBy J. f. Waggoner of the 1 H c Ser
~, vice Bureau)
iocs Profit is stimulus which causes
-henen to engage in some one or more Of
y, I, he many phases Of business. 1t may
Bofe commerce, the industries, banking,
st trming or some other activity, yet
ad chen all is said, the profit from that
e csrticular line of work is usually the
tractive feature. Competition has
come so strong that profit in many
Edertakings is made only by practis-
jig the strictest principles Of economy
nd exercising unusual care in looking
.fter the small things and what might
termed "by-products." For in
lance, one of the sources OF the bark
tor's income is the small increase in
me rate u interest on money loaned
ver what it cost him. The same is
-ue of the farmer. The increase in
+ be value of land has necessitated
kltting farming on more Of a business
bsis il order to realize profit on the
avestment
arding saving and utilizing the waste
r0ducts of the farm, and it is en-
luraging to note that more farmers
re making better use of all the prod
cts Of their farms than ever before.
ne OF the most serious wastes has
een the neglect to save and utilize
I ie entire corn crop. The principal
Arket demand has been for the
rain. This, combined with an abun-
ance of hay, has not been conducive
the use of corn fodder as a rough
rage. Conditions have changed the
Ast few years; among other things.
ly has advanced In price to such an
ttent that it is only good business
-actice for a farmer to supply his
ugh forage in the form OF corn fod-
sr and put his hay on the market.
Every grower or an acre Of corn
odld know the feeding value of the
tire crop. 1t is quite generally
nown what returns can be expected
ON the grain, but few farmers know
ie feeding value of the corn stover
ttalks without the ears). Reports
ON the Nebraska Experiment sta
N on experiments made comparing
ordinations OF shelled corn. snapped
!lrn, alfalfa and corn stover show
lat when stofer is used as half
~rodghGge it reduces the cost Of
s on two-year-old steers from 40
4 8 cents per hundred. The stOyer
found to be actually worth S3.55
ton as compared with alfalfa fed
g at $500 per ton. The farm value
falfa and other hay crops reached
srS Of more than twice this amount
past year, thus increasing the
of corn stover from $500 to
0 per ton.
tn these figures before us, It is
to see that the corn belt farmer
eglocting one OF his important
les of income by letting his corn
IS stand in the field. Considering
le small yield of only one ton of
over to the acre. the returns of the
merican farmer would have been
creased millions of dollars last year
this what might be called by-prOduct
i'd been saved. Coming back to the
dividual farmer. he would have
allied his proportion Of this profit.
ring this summer is the time to
an on cutting the corn for fodder
. lis fall and utilizing to the best ad-
intage the entire corn crop. We find
lat the Nebraska bulletin No. 100
Is: by feeding corn fodder. we
lize the stalk and yet are put to no
ttra labor husking it. In fact, corn
IN be cut with harvester and put in
he shock cheaper tnan 1t can be
cked and cribbed, inasmuch as three
en- with a team and harvester can
It and shock beven acres per day.
ecords from the farm department
this experiment station show that
costs S11S per acre to cut and
iock corn, which figure does not
low for the wear and tear on the
achine. Three cents per bushel
iould cover the cost Of harvesting !
lrn with a machine and putting it
the shocks"
The logical way OF saving the corn |
on is TO shred the fodder. Extensive |
tperiments at the Wisconsin Expert |
ent station show that about a per
mt OF the feeding value of fodder is |
st II left exposed to the elements. |
y shredding and storing. this loss will
prevented. The fodder is also in a |
uch more convenient form for hand |
'ng, and is relished more by the stock
hredded fodder does not occupy as
uch room for storing as the un-
lredded. and the stable manure is
uch easier handled
In summing up the results Of vari
IS feeding experiments with corn in
iAforms IL is found that the best !
az 10 utilize the corn crop is to save |
ie stalks either in the form Of ensil |
e or shredded fodder The records |
the Nebraska Experiment Station |
spell any doubt as TO the economy Of |
arvesting corn by the use OF the corn
nder as compared with husking the |
anding corn in the field. Under the |
tier condition the stalks would be
81 The value Of the stalks as a
- fa,d oonufd airing hav AT the i