Indian Corn as a Forage Plant. 173 



incurred by the operation, for the steers can as well perform the 

 work. The same statement holds true in some measure for dairy 

 cows. An ear of corn with the husks still about it possesses an 

 aroma which is largely lost when it is thrown into the crib, where 

 it is often polluted by vermin. That cattle appreciate the fresh- 

 ness of unhusked corn is shown by the eagerness with which 

 they search the stalks for ears. Whoever has watched a cow 

 searching through a bundle of stover for a possible ear or nubbin 

 of corn which the would-be thrifty farmer has by accident over- 

 looked, cannot fail to be impressed with the folly of the farmer in 

 so carefully performing his work. It is true that when fed in this 

 manner some corn will pass through the animal unbroken, but 

 feeding trials have shown that despite such waste there is usually 

 profit in the system over that of husking and reducing the corn 

 to meal. A part of the corn can be husked to furnish grain for 

 other purposes, and the remainder of the crop left for the cattle. 

 By a little study to ascertain the amount of grain the shocks 

 carry, the feeder can soon adjust the supply of corn to forage so 

 as to give each animal its proper allowance of grain along with 

 the fodder. Because one' s ancestors laboriously husked corn and 

 afterwards divided the crop with the miller for grinding is no 

 reason why in these later days of high-priced labor and low- 

 priced products we should still be husking corn for cattle, when 

 these animals have all day in which to do the work and willingly 

 perform it. (581) 



250. Cured fodder corn. Corn grown and cured for forage con- 

 stitutes a coarse hay of high feeding value produced at low cost. 

 Because only a portion of the nutriment has gone into the ear, 

 the stalks of fodder corn are more nutritious and palatable than 

 stover, which has lost much of its substance to the grain it pro- 

 duced. 



In feeding fodder corn to horses care should be taken that they 

 do not get too much grain; otherwise there is no better forage for 

 them. Corn fodder, in which the ears have been choked to half 

 or less than half their normal size by thick planting, is one of the 

 most valuable forms of roughage for dairy cows, steers in the first 

 stages of fattening, and young cattle. All the corn these animals 



