DAIRY ASSOCIATION. 309 



]\Ir. Brnns : Cattle will just eat the blades of the corn fodder but 

 of the cane they will eat it all. How much more is that? 



Prof, ^^'aters : Do any of our sorghum farmers present make the 

 mistake of devoting good land to the growing of sorghum and let their 

 corn fodder go to waste and put in sorghum to make up for it? There 

 is no question but that sorghum ton for ton and acre for acre will pro- 

 duce more feed, but it does not supply any nutrients that corn fodder 

 does not. While I have no war to wage on sorghum, every man should 

 decide whether he can aiiford to grow sorghum ; after careful consid- 

 eration of all the facts, and first the position is well taken that sorghum 

 impoverishes the soil rapidly; not so rapidly as corn, perhaps, one sea- 

 son with another ; and yet it may impovish it more rapidly than corn. 



Mr. Erwin : Have any experiments been made and published show- 

 ing what the impoverishment of the soil is in the growth of corn vv'here 

 the land lies so that there is no mechanical waste by washing; such as 

 is shown in the growth of wheat in England? 



Prof. Waters : An experiment made in Pennsylyania in the growth 

 of corn for sixteen years shows very markedly and unmistakably that 

 corn in comparison with wheat, oats and timothy is a very much more 

 exhaustive crop ; and in comparison with clover you know what the re- 

 sult is and do not need to refer to any exact experiments. We can find 

 farms in this State that have been practically worn out by the growth 

 of corn. Sorghum does not supply any of the nutrients that corn fod- 

 der, which is wasted so prodigiously in this state, will not supply. I 

 do not mean to say that each individual farmer is making a mistake, 

 by growing sorghum, for he needs that sort of material and may not 

 have enough fodder to supply it. For this purpose sorghum is a great 

 crop. What the dairyman needs, however, is a supply of cheap protein 

 to balance his corn, corn fo'dder and straw. Clover and cow peas are 

 the cheapest sources of protein that we know of, and while he is pro- 

 ducing protein in the cheapest way by the use of clover and cow peas, 

 he is at the same time benefiting his land. I think we cannot emphasize 

 this lesson of the value of clover and cow peas too much for every 

 farm.er. 



]\Ir. : \\'hat does Prof. Waters mean by letting the corn fod- 

 der go to waste? How would vou save it? 



Prof. Waters : In the dairy business, by the silo, putting into it as 

 much as is convenient ; the rest I would cut and field cure and I am not 

 certain just now whether I would shred it or not. I would let some- 

 body experiment on that proposition, unless I had an opportunity to get 

 the ears husked by the same operation and at only a slight expense above 

 the ordinarv method of husking it. 



