VOL. XXXI.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SEPT. 5. 1896.
NO. 36
EXPERIENCE DEPARTMENT
Bow do yon Cut, Care and Fead Corn
Fodder?   Experience with Corn
Harvesters.
lst Premium.—In the flrst place don't
cnt corn nntil it is mature.   Turn a deaf
ear to those who tell you to cut fodder
green, and  that the  nutriment in the
stalk will finish out the ear and make
better feed.   Green corn is about as poor
a feed as yon can give a cow.   It continues to improve nntil the grain is mature.
When the shuck and many of the blades
are brown, then cnt it and cnt it quick. I
can't afford to wait for the covenience of
men to have my fodder cut, neither can
I afford to pay the price they usually demand; so I bought a harvester called the
"Daisy," and the cutting of my corn wiih
the aid of a hired hand costs me less than
one cent a shock, not counting my own
work.  The shocks are 12 hills square and
the work is much more easy and expeditions than with a knife.   I use the Daisy
because the wings can, by the use of a
lever, be shot under the sled out of the
way of gallows, hills or horses' legs.   I
put the shocks 12 hills  square because
large shocks stand better.   In shucking,
I lay the fodder on trestles which stand
so I can throw two shocks together.   Cut
the binder twine not over 3}_ feet long,
place it -.round) the shucked fodder on the
Xrii.Ue,-then 'lift It  to the .ground and
kneeling upon it draw very tight and tie
in a bow knot.   One who has never tried
has no idea how much easier it is to handle a tight bundle.    In reshocklng set
three Bhocks in one, carrying the two outside shocks  to the  middle  one.   Draw
shock very tight near the top, then tie
Making top small sheds water and steadies
the shock.   Haul in on hay ladders, pitching on by hand 17 to 30 shocks, according
to size.   Before feeding the fodder should
be put through a machine, which cuts it in
short lengths and then crushes and tears
it, until reduced to pulp, and chickens as
well as stock thrive on it.   If for any reason I wish to stack the fodder, I lay fragments of rails or poles lengthwise of the
future stack.   Then lay two rows of bundles, tops together, across the poles, then
cord up, each alternate layer crossing the
other until the stack is six or seven feet
high.  Then lay all the bundles lengthwise of the stack, drawing in each time
until you have but one bundle on top.
Be careful that the second tier does not
overlap the first much, or yon will have
trouble getting the fodder out. Now commence and stand a row of bundles all
aronnd the stack as closely together as
possible.   Then take another bundle and
set the butts in ihe side of the first, just
above the band breaking joints all round
the stack.   Follow the second row with a
third, if necessary, in the same manner
until the tops come together well above
the stack.   Then  lay a  rail or  pole on
each  side,  tying  together   with   twine
across the tops.   Such a stack will stand
and be about as good feeding the second
year as the first.   To feed, draw the bundles out, beginning at top and take out
down to the ground, and if well put up
the casing will still stand.   I would rather be deprived of my binder than my
corn harvester. Rob Rot.
the field, start back on the next two,
stopping by the bunches and setting up
the four armfalls and tying; this is the
beginning of the shock. Cut back and
forth as many pair of rows as will make
good shocks. Leave all down corn lying,
to be gathered in a wagon and fed out at
some early date. Now we have shocks
composed of straight stalks that stand
well. Tie with binder twine. If the
corn is rather green, half shocks should
be put up and let sun a day and then
completed. Soon as the fodder is cnred
and perfectly dry, which will require
about a month, we hire a number of
hands, go to the field and shuck it, tying
the fodder in bundles as large as a man
can shoulder, using twine, and placing
heads and butts half either way thus
avoiding a sharpened bundle. The fodder is at once loaded on a truck and
pulled to the barn and unloaded with a
harpoon fork. Every available space is
filled. What cannot be put in the barn
is left undisturbed in the shock until the
day it is brought out to be fed, and is fed
out first. That in the barn is used only
in bad weather and is saved for late winter and spring. We prefer to feed in the
barn from spacious feed boxes or the
bar,n floor. When the ground is dry we
feed oh the ground in the open air. We
think the cutting or shredding ot fodder
rather too expensive an operation.
Decatur Co. J. K.
2ad Premium.—As soon as the corn is
matured—which state any experienced
farmer recognizes—we take a corn cutter
that cuts two rows by drawing between
them bya horse. Always draw between
the two rows that were planted together,
for they will be equl-distant apart their
entire length. Two men catch the corn
as it is cut. When the arms are full,
stop and throw on the gronnd. Gauge
the distance between shocks by the
amount of fodder that makes an armful,
and not by any certain number of hills.
When the first two rows.are cut across
fail to cut this crop early enough to get
the best results.
The best shredded fodder that we had
was cut and hauled direct from the field
and shredded and bulked away. It went
through an extensive sweat, and got very
hot, but it was the brightest and sweetest
fodder we had.
We are confident that the corn harvester has come to stay. It soon will do
its work as perfectly as the most successful threshing machine does it's work
when operated by competent men.
The hnsker and shredder only needs a
trial to convince any person of its worth
and value to both the farmer and his
stock. D. M. Lett.
3d Premium.—'Our experience has been
all the way from the old style of cutting
by hand and shocking and feeding out of
the field as needed, which consisted of
wasting from one-third to one-half the
crop. Next we tried cutting and hauling
to the barn and storing away, putting a
layer of corn about two feet thick, then a
layer alternately of clean straw about
the same thickness. This kept the corn
and fodder in good condition and we cut
and fed the fodder and straw together as
mixed feed, and it gave good results, but
the labor of properly storing it was considerable.
Last year we engaged the services of
the corn harvesters, the McCormick and
the Deering. They were to cut, bind and
leave on the ground for one dollar per
acre. The Deering came and cut four or
five acres and then went home to cut for
its owner. He had some sixty-five acres.
Before he got it cut the big frost came,
greatly damaging the crop, and when it
got back, it failed to cnt a late planted
field, which was quite a disappointment
as we desired to spread It for the fodder.
The McCormick broke down and failed
to cat any for us. We cut what we could
in the old way, bnt we did not get more
than half or our crop cut up. This was
quite a disappointment, as we had purchased a Keystone husker and shredder.
Our last year's experience with the husker and shredder was very satisfactory
to ourselves and our patrons. The selling price of the shredded fodder from the
mow was from five to six dollars per ton,
while baled and sold in the city marke^
it sold for $10 per ton. We shredded corn
that only yielded ten bushels of corn per
acre, the fodder yielding from one to two
tons per acre. When the corn yielded
from 50 to 80 bushels per acre, the fodder
yield would be from three to five tons of
shredded fodder. Another advantage is
its Btorage capacity. We could haul the
shredded fodder of 40 shocks of average
fodder on one wagon with good hay
frame. Stock of all kinds readily eat it
and the small amount of offal or refuse is
very convenient for bedding, being a
flne absorbent and easily handled; no
long stalks stringing and hanging.
The corn that was cnt and bound with
the harvesters was more convenient to
handle, haul and shred than corn cut and
shocked by the old methods. Its keeping quality In the shock is also better.
The crop harvester is a coming necessity.
We find that a majority of the farmers
As to the cutting of corn it is some like
making hay, people differ as to the time
of cutting. I think that it should get
tolerably ripe; ripe enough for the co_*n
not to shrivel; but it should be cut before
it gets too ripe, so that all the blades will
not be lost; as that is the best part of the
fodder. We cut it with the knives, as
none of the machinery that has been
tried about here has proven very satisfactory. We cnt it in about 10 or 12 hills
square to the shock, and tie it well and
then it will stand a great deal of wind
without blowing down. And as soon as
it gets cured well, we haul in all we can
and store away in the barn, and then we
have work'* for" tiio rainy days when we
cannot get out to work. A*" lew farmers
have silos, and have their corn cut up
green and save it that way, but from what
I have seen of the silos I prefer something else. I feed most of it whole to the
stock. They seem to eat splendidly when
it is well cured and got in before it stands
out in the bad weather too long. I think
If properly cared for It is as good for milk
cows as good clover hay. II. C. F.
Harrison Co.
good shocks of about 200 hills in a shoctr,
tying the shocks when done with binder
twine. In about two weeks the tops of
the shocks have sufficiently cured to
make the ties loose, and I go over them
with rope and tighten np and re-tie. My
shocks are now in the best possible
shape to keep, and I haul them in, a load
or two at a time, and feed out before more
is brought in. When fodder is damp
enough to handle nicely, It Is too wet to
store in quantities, and will mold badly.
I use a steel framed four-wheel winged
corn harvester, because It does better
work than by hand cutting, and at about
one-half the cost The corn harvesters
that bind it up in bundles are too high
in cost for the present price of farm products, and are hence out of the question
with the common small farmer if he
would keep his balance on the right
side of the sheet at the end of the year.
The shredded fodder is fine, and all right,
but cost too much for us who have only
to cut up a little more that would otherwise go to waste, to get a winter's supply
of feed. Hoosier Farmer.
Corn should not be cut for fodder until
matured.  Cut earlier than .his it will be
light and possessed of but little nutrition.
The  grain  will  be injured.   Cut later lt
will be similar, and harsh and dry in addition.   Stock will not have much relish
for it in either instance.   Fullness of maturity is the proper stage for cutting corn
for fodder.   It endures more than a single hour or day, and  Is  readily  discernible with some experience.   Cut, and put
into shocks, 12 or 10 hills  square  as  preferred.   Support the shock by tying the
stalks of four hills together  at top.   Cut
only half shocks at first and finish later.
This will give the centre of the shock an
opportunity to cure and reveal  any  tendency to fall, which may  be corrected
on cutting the second half.   Tie first half
at time of cutting.   Let  the  full  shock
stand some few days before  tying.   The
tie will not then become lax by shrinkage.   Do not shuck until well  cure  out.
If    possible   shuck   and   handle*   only
in     humid     weather.      This    insures
much      more     satisfaction     and     no
loss.     Shelter   fodder   for   winter use,
otherwise it can be stacked to pretty good
advantage.   For convenience it were well
to tie into bundles.   In fact this is necessary to stow or stack to best advantage
Unless it is desired to clear the land it is
well only to top the corn.   This will give
the finest and choicest part of the stalk
for fodder, and leave the coarse part in
the field.   The ear will dry out to better
advantage and can be shucked at times
when fodder will not admit of handling.
It will not be as heavy labor to handle
the tops as the entire stall!, and less shelter room will be required.   The field can
be pastured to get anything remaining in
frozen weather.   Fodder is first rate fed
just so.   It takes some time for stock to
strip it of its blades,' but they usually
have plenty of spare time for this in winter.   Cut and make mixed feed if desired.
X. Y.
I let my corn stand until the corn is
generally out of milk; then put up  in
We do not begin to cut or top corn
until it is thoroughly ripe. .We still have
the old way of cutting np corn with
knives. We have not used any machinery for cutting corn. I do not believe it
will pay, unless we get better machinery
than some are 'using around here. Last
year the \v6rms ate our clover and we cut
up 36 acre* of-corn, nutting_!»**- bI.o.-h. -
about 10 or 13 hills' square. This will be
big enough to stand well and not be too
large to cure out. We hauled and stored
lt in the barn as soon as we got time, and
shucked it out on rainy days, when it
was not fit to work out of doors. We fed
most of it so, to the cow and horses;
some of it we cut about \_ inch long, put
some bran and salt on it, mixing It with
a little water to make the bran stick. We
fed.this to our cattle. Some people say
the cows will not eat the stalks when
they are cut. We cut large and small as
we come to it, and some of the stalks
were half as large as my wrist, and only
one or two cows out of 20 head left any
stalks in the troughs. We planted 2
acres of sugar corn (StowelPs evergreen)
thick as we could drill It, late last spring
for cow feed. When it got ripe we cut it
and threw it on piles and let it lay a day
or two to cure, when we hauled It in and
cut it, ear and aU, and fed to our fattening cows. We have four acres this year
and we are going to commence feeding
right away to our cows to fatten them
for the fair. A Farmer.
Harrison Co. 	
Previous to last year I employed men
with corn knives to cut and place in
shocks of 14 hills square. I commence
the cutting as soon as the husks on the
ears have become sufficiently dried and
while the stalks and blades are yet green.
We usually have sufficient fine weather
during the latter part of September and
early part of October to cure the fodder
in the shock, while in the field. As soon
as the fodder is sufficiently cured to keep
when stored I have the corn husked out
and run the fodder through a cutter,
using a Porter & Bros, fodder cutter.
This machine both cuts and tears the
stalks, thus making a fine feed. Fodder
that has been cut at the right time and
nicely cured has a very sweet aroma
after being run through the cutter and
placed in the barn. This kind of feed is
relished by horses, mules, cattle and
sheep. I feed to horses from the manger
In the stalks. In feeding to cattle I place
the feed in long troughs; the cattle being
dehorned they eat together like so many
sheep. As to the amount for a feed, I am
governed by their eating; giving just
what thoy will eat up clean. Last year
laborers being scarce and hard to get, I
purchased a McCormick corn harvester.
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