188 THE BUSINESS OF FAKMING 



In the first place it is universally acknowledged 

 that our soils are fast losing their fertility, and 

 why? Because we have simply farmed from the 

 soil the supplies of organic matter needed to give 

 it the proper ventilation, looseness, moisture- 

 holding capacity, and to make it a favorable home 

 for soil bacteria, and to contain sufficient supplies 

 of plant food. Our soils are becoming hard and 

 compact. They run together easily and become 

 like sun-baked bricks. 



Now, with the soils of our corn fields in this con- 

 dition, a man with any sense of observation can 

 readily see what will happen to such fields if 

 cattle are turned in upon them in the fall, winter 

 or spring of the year, to tramp and to puddle 

 their soils. It will not do to say that if the ground 

 is frozen their tramping will not injure the soil, 

 for, as a rule, the ground is not frozen at all times 

 and nine-tenths of the farmers are utterly oblivi- 

 ous of soil conditions of their fields when pasturing 

 their stalk fields. Yet we hear it said, "Take the 

 chances and eat up the stalks, the damage will not 

 equal the loss of feed if you allow the stalks to go 

 unpastured." 



But let us reason together and ask ourselves the 

 question, "If we are to build up our soils to that 

 state where they will give adequate return for 

 their cultivation, what is the business way of hand- 

 ling our by-product, the cornstalk 1" 



The cornstalk has great feeding value, and yet 

 little of it can be eaten by stock when fed as crude 

 fodder. There is but one way in which the entire 

 cornstalk can be treated and prepared into palat- 

 able food, and that is to silo it. In future ages it 



