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Show SAVE THE FODDER Although it Is too late in the season to consider doing anything with the corn for ensilage purposes wc should not overlook the fact that to save the fodder which wo have already cut Is not only our duty but is very Important Impor-tant from the standpoint of having sufficient feed for our livestock during dur-ing the winter months. Of the many ways to sac the corn crop the uso of the silo Is perhaps the best, nnd yet only a few of the farmers In tho corn belt have taken advantage of this means of saving tho corn crop this season and wo should begin right now to Investigate the silo problem so that we can erect one next year. The silo not only saves 30 to 40 per cent of the corn's nutrition that would otherwise bo lost, but It affords a green and sufficient suffi-cient feed during tho winter months. Crop reports sent out by the govern-ment govern-ment show that the farm valuo of hay as quoted October 1st, Is somewhat some-what less than It was October 1st, 1911, but yet it is higher by a considerable con-siderable amount than usual. In other words thin Inrilrntps Hint tlin nmntint of rough feed available throughout the country Is less than normal and for this reason wo- should put forth extra efforts to save all the fodder and other rough feed wo have as It will como In mighty handy before spring. When we consider the Increased farm value of hay and the fact that If fodder Is left standing in the field from 25 to 40 per cent of Its fending value Is lost wo will realize how Important Im-portant It Is to form our plans now to save this fodder In tlio best possible shape. Perhaps you havo not done so, but you have seen your neighbors leave the corn fodder in the fields during the winter months and haul it In day after day as It was required. This Is bad practice, to say the least, and we hope that no reader of the Service Bureau will bo found guilty of this practice this season. Late fall rains coupled with occasional sleet or anow storms not only waste a considerable amount of the fodder but make It extremely difficult to handle If left In the field. Fodder left exposed In this manner loses Its feeding value through tho loss of protein caused by the action of the elements and by the wasting of leaveB due to handling. The next best practice Is to stack the fodder as soon as the corn la picked. It Is a good Idea to locate tho stack somewhero convenient to the feeding rack or on the south sldo of a grove where the fodder can be fed during the cold winter mornings by scattering It on tho ground where the animals will be protected from the cold northwest winds. This brings us to tho subject of shredding fodder, which Is the most Important and by far tho best way of saving n fodder crop. The husker nnd shreddor now In common use cuts the stalks in longitudinal sections, Into small bits which puts It In a much more palatable form. It lias been found that live stock will eat much more of the stalk when shredded than who n fed whole. Tho machlno iibciI for this purpose will deliver tho corn in a husked condition. The cost of shredding varies, of course, in different differ-ent localities, but figuring the average aver-age cost of husking corn and storing It, the expense of shredding Is practically prac-tically the samo. Then you will not only get tho corn husked nnd stored but you will have your fodder In a convenient form for storing and feeding. feed-ing. It Is a good plan to storo the shredded fodder In tho hay mow or In some place whero It can bo covered. If It Is Impossible for you to do this, stock the shredded fodder close to where you Intend to feed It. This will not only savo labor, but will reduce re-duce losses In handling and hauling tho shredded fodder. Another advan-tago advan-tago of shredding tho fodder which Is often overlooked Is the convenience in handling tho stable manure. It Is perhaps unnecessary to call the Corn Belt farmers' nttentlon to this fact. Let us plan right now to at least stack our foddor and if posslblo use a shredder. Yours very truly, I H C SERVICE BUREAU i |
