Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1918-01-02

matter of fact only 81 per cent OF
the acreage was put in the sllo two
years ago, the year In which these in
vestigations were made. About IL per
cent was cut for green feed and 81
per cent allowed to mature for grain.
1t is in the last portion Of the acreage
that the greatest waste occurs. Strip
ping the leaves from the stalks which
are subsequently burned, removing the
stalks above the top ear only, leaving
the stalks to stand in the field until
the loss of leaves and teaching have
removed much of the fertilizing
value are all unthrifty methods. Fur
thermore, almost four per cent OF the
stover Is burned, as though, instead
of being q potential source of revenue
It was merely nuisance to be gotten
rid of as a preliminary to plowlng.
In some states the percentage OF sto-
yer that is thus thrown away is as
high as 7 or s per cent and the total
loss to the country from the practice
is estimated at nearly S15,000,OOO
year.
Results From Roughage.
To obtain satisfactory results from
the feeding Of farm roughages such
as straw and stover, they must be
-eonhinad- with some form of -c0ncen-
trated feed. at the present time large
quantities of such feed in the form OF
cottonseed meal and cake, corn, mo-
lasses, peanuts and beans are export
ed for the use of European feeders. II
the straw and stover that are now
wasted were employed to feed more
cattle, these concentrates could De
consumed at home. The result would
be 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 1,0OO,0Oo
tons of cottonseed neal-half the
total production-were applied direct
ly to the soil as fertilizer. If this
had been fed to cattle instead, three
quarters of the fertilizing value
would have been returned to the SOIL
MS manure. The loss Of the other
fourth would have beene far more
than counterbalanced by the profit on
the meat produced economically by
the meal and the necessary roughages.
Much the same thing is true Of the
other oil meals.
Value Of Meals.
The valueoof these meals is far
better appreciated in Europe than
here. Denmark, for example, feeds
annually 47S pounds of oil cake to
each of her mature cattle, the United
States approximately a 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 becau. the Ameri-
can farmer has not yet learned its
value. Cottonsced and linseed are per-
hans the best known Of the oil meals
but there are others the use Of which
as feed could be profitGbly extended.
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
TO the best use all available products.
greater knowledge Of what these
products are and OF the ways in which
they can be fed will result in the
elimination of enormous waste.