The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-07-22

that time enough stock to pasture all
the grass the following year.
An Immense Amount OF Slower.
The production of corn stover is
amounting to approximately 245,000,-
900 tons a year. A larger percentage
-S15-of this is fed than of the straw
but the waste is nevertheless astonish-
ing For this. poor methods of feeding
are largely responsible. By far the
most economical method of handling
corn is by ensiling, but as matter or
fact only 81 per cent of the acreage
was put in the silo in 1914, the year In
which these investigations were made.
About II per cent was cut TOT green
feed and 81 per cent allowed to ma
ture for grain. 1t is in the last portion
of the acreage that the greatest waste
occurs. Stripping the leaves from the
stalks which are subsequently burned,
removing the stalk above the top ear
only, leaving the stalks to stand in the
field until the loss of leaves and
teaching have removed much of their
fertilizing value, are all unthrifty
methods. Furthermore, almost four
per cent of the stover is burned, as
though, instead of being a potential
source of revenue, it was merely a
nuisance to be gotten rid of as a pre-
liminary to blowing. In some states
the percentage of slower that is thus
thrown away is as high as or 8 per
from the practice is estimated at near
iy SIS, 100000 a year.
How to Obtain Best Results.
To obtain satisfactory results from
the feeding of farm roughages such
as straw and slower, they must be
combined with some form of concen-
trated feed. At the present time large
quantities of such feed, in the form
of cottonseed meal and cake, corn,
molasses, peanuts and beans are ex-
ported for the use of European feed
ers. If the straw and slower that
are now wasted were employed to
feed more cattle. these concentrates
could be consumed at home. The re-
suit would be a tremendous saving not
only in the cost of producing beef, but
in the cost of enriching the soil as
well. In 1914, for example, about
100000 tons of cottonseed meal
half the total production-were ap-
piled directly to the soil as fertilizer.
If this had been fed to cattle in
stead, three-quarters of the fertilizing
value would have been returned to
the soil as manure. The loss of the
other fourth would have been far
more than counterba1anced by the
profit on the meat produced eco
nomically by the meal and the neces-
sary roughages. Much the same thing
is true Of the other oil meals.
Europe Is Wiser Than We Are.
The value of these meals is far bet
ter appreciated in Europe than here.
Denmark, for example, feeds annually
478 pounds of oil cake to each of her
mature cattle, the United States ap-
proximately twenty-four pounds. Fur
thermore, the European feeder is
aware of the fact that the high-pro-
tein meal, while more expensive to
buy. is more economical to use. Meal
of this quality is seldom sold on the
domestic markets because the Ameri-
can farmer has not yet learned its
value. Cottonseed and linseed are per-
haps the best known of the oil meals
but there are others, the use of which
as feed could be profitably extended
Both peanut and soy bean meal and
cake. for instance, are in good demand
in Europe.
The efficient use of these and other
| feeds discussed in the report is of the
utmost importance to the American
farmer, it is pointed out, because the
day when close calculation in feeding
was not necessary is, in all probability
past. Hereafter it is likely that sue
cess will depend upon ability to put te
the best use all available products A
greater knowledge of what these prod.
ucts are and of the ways in which they
can be fed will result in the elimina-
ton OF enormous waste.