French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1917-09-13
By DAN T. GRAY,

FARMERS VINO nave mdu0 ptOpSA To-
| of our Southern cheap feeds for live
stock will probably accept the title OF
this article in the same way that the
man who visited the mepagerie fol
the first time accepted the reality OF
the giraffe. After examining the
! giraffe from the front, side and rear
| and taking into consideration his long
neck and general ungainliness, ne
said that he had always believed that
there was "no such animal" and he
was now, after seeing him, thoroughly
convinced that there was no . such
thing. In like manner farmers who
have never made use of our really
cheap feeds are apt to say, at the
present \ time, without an invest1ga-
ton, that there is no such thing"
The doubling farmer, however, as
we'll as the visitor to the menager1e,
is mistaken, because there are cheap
live stock feeds even at the present
time, but they are not found among
purchased grains or ~by-prOducts.
There are two classes Of cheap feeds
to be secured for the coming winter
silage and pastures, especially the
latter. All kinds of live stock make
use of pastures if the opportunity is
offered. Some kinds of live stock
make use of silage. The live stock
farmer expects to avoid an expensive
winters feed bill must supply either
siIage or pasture or both. If these
two feeds are to be provided the pre-
liminary work must be done in
September.
There is plenty of evidence at hand
to show that our farmers are awake
to the fact that these two feeds are
our cheapest ones. During June, July,
August, and September hundreds of
silos were built in the state. During
August, September and October these
silos will be filled with various kinds
of silage crops and during this same
time thousands of grazing crops suit
able for fall, winter, and spring graz
ing will be sown.
The majority of farmers who keep
beef cattle and dairy cattle should
certainly provide a silo and adj OF
them should provide some kind Of
fall, winter and spring grazing. Var
ious kinds Of crops may be used for
grazing In the first place,
many of our farmers have failed to
appreciate the value OF the old corn
and cotton fields, and these we have
with us always. AS a result Of this
neglect vast quantities of roughage aEe
wasted each year which should be
turned into meat and milk. The good
farmer allows none of these cheap
feeds to go to waste. We should not
only not allow the feeds usually pro-
duced to go to waste, but just now an
effort should be made to create new
feeds by putting many Of our idle
acres to work.
Under the direction of Mr.. r. S.
Curtis, of the Animal Industry Divis-
ion Of the N. G. Agricultural Expert
ment Station, experiments have been
under way for several years to deter
mine the value of permanent winter
pastures in the western part Of the
state. The work has been done in
cooperation with Mr.. T. l.. Gwyn of
Haywood County, a prominent beef
cattle raiser of that section. Those
who know the agricultural conditions
of the western part Of the state know
that one of the greatest problems is to
develop a system of farming which
will employ some of the lands lying
idle at the present time.
In these experiments the beef cat
tie carried through the winter upon
various rations and an accurate &C
count kept of the amounts and costs
of feeds of each winter together with
the gains made by the stockers. One
carload Of stockers each winter was
fed upon ear corn, corn stover, hay
and straw. A second lot was fed upon
corn silage, corn slower, hay and
straw. A third car of stockers was
fed during the winter months upon
corn siIage, corn stover, hay and
straw, while a fourth lot was given
no feed at all except that obtained
from the winter pasture.
Mr.. Gwyn made these winter pas
lures by first clearing the mountain
sides OF the trees. A contract was
made with the mountaineers giving
them the free use of the land for two
years if they would deaden all Of the
large trees, clear out the small brush,
and put the land in cultivation, plant
ing corn each year. The second year
at the last cultivation of the corn a
mixture of Is pounds Of orchard grass,
A pounds of blue grass, and z pounds
Of timothy and clover were seeded
broadcast. through the corn. The
grass was permitted to grow through
the following summer without being
grazed. 1t, Of course, grew up and
fell over thus protecting the, lroots
during the cold months. YOUNG
blades continued to come out during