The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-04-14
REDUCING THE
COST OF FEED
(The Progressive Farmer.)

stock will remain high so long as we
fail to produce all the feeds used.
This is of necessity so, for to the
cost of producing the feeds are add
ed the freight and handling charges.
To put the matter in different
words, the cost of feeding our work
stock will remain high so long as we
make corn the chief grain feed and
produce only 20 bushels or less per
acre. The difficulty is simply in
creased if we feed oats and produce
less than Is bushels per acre. In
short, any serious consideration of
the problem Of feeding the work
stock of the South, brings US back
to the basic facts that we must pro
duce all the feeds used on the farms
of the South, and must increase the
acreage yields of the crops grown
for feed. Granted that corn, oats,
cottonseed meal, etc., must remain
our grain feeds, then the problem is
simply to increase the yields and
thereby or otherwise decrease the
cost of production.
But the problem of feeding our
work stock at the present time is of
pressing Importance and of more in
terest than any speculation or ad-
vice as to how the stock may be fed
more cheaply next year.
Accepting the undisputed fact
that the work stock can not be
cheaply fed this season, the problem
confronting many Southern farmers
today is, how are the work animals
to be fed and what feeds may be
used to reduce the cost as much as
practicable?
On a large number of Southern
farms there is not sufficient corn or
other grains, and on many there is
not enough hay to feed the work
stock until forage crops can be
grown. On those farms where there
is hay and corn sufficient to feed
the work stock the only suggestion
we have to offer is to substitute two
pounds of cottonseed meal day for
four pounds Of corn now fed and
sell the corn thus saved to the less
fortunate neighbors. 1t is possible
that more corn might be profitably
sold and other purchased feeds sub
stituted, but those who wish to con-
slider that problem may find some
information of value in the follow
ing discussion of the problems of
the man who must buy feed.
For the man who must buy hay,
we have little to offer. He may save
something by reducing the quantity
fed to not over one pound day for
every 100 pounds of the weight of
the animal fed. We usually feed
more, and usually feed too much to
the hard working animal. The idle
animal may have all the hay he will
consume if it is cheaper than grain,
as it usually is when produced on
the farm.
He should not buy the high-priced
salable hays like timothy when he
can get good lespedeza, or other le-
gume hays of greater feeding value
for less money. He may consider
making at least half the roughage
corn stover, or even cottonseed hulls
We think cottonseed hulls too low in
feeding value and too high in fiber
for feeding horses doing hard work,
and the man who buys cottonseed
hulls instead of raising hay to feed
his work stock is in our opinion to
that extent a poor business man or
poor farmer. But if there is act
ually shortage of hay at present,
perhaps cottonseed hulls may be
hsed to supply one half the rough
age, 5 to pounds daily.
The problem of reducing the cost
of the grain feed is a more urgent
one, for corn is scarce and high
priced. Oats are still higher in
price, considering their feeding val
ue. Oats are not worth over 80
cents a bushel when corn is worth
81 bushel. Rice by-products, such
as rice polish and rice bran, may
take the place of corn, or at least