Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1912-09-27
FEEDING CORN FODDER
Experiments Snow that Corn Slower
Is Valuable in Beef Production
Germ Slower Is One of the Many

vice Bureau
Profit is a stimulus which causes
men to engage in some one or more of
the many phases of business. 1t may
farming or some other activity, yet
when all is said, the profit from that
particular line of work is usually the
attractive feature Competition has
become so strong that profit in many
undertakings is made only by pracris-
ing the strictest principles of economy
and exercising unusual care in looking
after the small things and what might
be termed 'by-products." For in
stance. one of the sources of the bank
er's income is the small increase in
the rate of interest on money loaned
over what ii cost him. The same is
true. of the farmer. The increase in
the value of land has necessitated
putting farming on more Of business
basis il. order to realize a profit on the
investment
Much has been said and written re-
garding saving and utilizing the waste
products of me farm. and it is en-
couraging 10 note that more farmers
are making better use of all the prod
ucts of their farms than ever before.
One of the most serious wastes has
been the neglect to save and utilize
the entire corn crop. The principal
market demand has been for the
grain. This. combined with an abun-
dance of hay, has not been conducive
to the use Of corn fodder as a rough
forage. Conditions have changed the
past few years: among other things,
hay has advanced in price to such an
extent that it is only good business
practice for a farmer to supply his
rough forage in the form of corn fod-
der and put his hay on the market
Every grower OF an acre of corn
should know the feeding value of the
entire crop. II is quite generally
known what returns can be expected
from the grain, but few farmers know
the feeding value of the corn slower
(stalks without the ears. Reports
from the Nebraska Experiment Sta
ton on experiments made comparing
combinations of shelled corn, snapped
corn. alfalfa and corn slower show
that when slower is used as half
of the roughage it reduces the cost of
gains on two-year-old steers from 40
to 4S cents per hundred. The stover
was found to be actually worth 1855
per ton as compared with alfalfa fed
alone at $500 per ton. The farm value
of alfalfa and other hay crops reached
mark of more than twice this amount
the past year, thus increasing the
value of corn stover from $500 to
$500 per ten.
With these figures before US, it Is
Plain to see that the corn belt farmer
is neglecting one of his important
sources of income by letting his corn
stalks stand in the field. Considering
the small yield Of only one ton OF
stover to the acre, the returns of the
American farmer would have been
increased millions of dollars last year
If this what might be called by-product
had been saved. Coming back to the
individual farmer, he would have
realized his proportion Of this profit.
During this summer is the time to
plan on cutting the corn for fodder
this fall and utilizing to the best ad-
vantage the entire corn crop. We find
that the Nebraska bulletin No. 100
says: by feeding corn fodder, we
utilize the stalk and yet are put to no |
extra labor husking it. In fact. corn !
can be cut with harvester and put in |
the shock cheaper than it can be |
picked and cribbed. inasmuch as three |
men with a team and harvester can |
cut and shock seven acres per day. |
Records from the farm department |
It costs S11S per acre TO cut and |
shock corn. which figure does not
allow for the wear and tear on the
machine. Three cents per bushel
should cover the cost of harvesting
,orn with a machine and putting it
n the shocks"
The logical way of saving the corn
,rop is to shred the fodder Extensive
at the Wisconsin Expert
nent station show that about "a per
ent of the feeding value of fodder is
ost if left exposed to the elements.
BY shredding and storing. this loss win
e prevented. The fodder is also In
nuch more convenient form for hand
Ing, and is relished more by the stock
hredded fodder does not occupy as
1uch room for storing as the I'M
hredded, and the stable manure is
luch easier handled.
In summing up the results OF vari-
us feeding experiments with corn in
II forms it is found that the best
ay to utilize the corn crop is to save
,e stalks either in the form OF ensil-
&c or shredded fodder. The records
the Nebraska Experiment Station
ispel any doubt as to the economy Of
arvesting corn by the use Of the corn
nder as compared with busking the
snding corn in the held. Under the
tier condition the stalks would be
st. The value. OF the stalks as a
ugh feed, considering hay at the