FOOD FROM CURED FODDERS 211 



may, however, disappear when the feeding of millet is dis- 

 continued; and (3) that it injures the texture of the bone 

 by rendering it softer and less tenacious. 



Corn fodder. This is an elastic term which may be 

 applied to corn cut at any stage of growth and fed in the 

 green or cured form, with or without the removal of the 

 ears. It thus applies to the crop grown so thickly or cut so 

 early that it has no ears, to the mature crop fed along with 

 the ears which it has borne and also to the crop from which 

 the ears have been removed, but the stalks from which the 

 ears have been taken are usually spoken of as stover. Shock 

 corn means the cured product as fed from the shock or 

 stack and without husking. Snapped corn is a term applied 

 to ears which are pulled from the standing stalks and fed 

 without being husked. 



In estimating the value of corn fodder for feeding, the 

 following considerations should be taken into account ; viz., 

 (i) The proportion of ear to stalk; (2) the object sought 

 from feeding the corn ; ( 3 ) the stage of maturity at which 

 the crop is harvested and (4) the time that has elapsed 

 since harvesting the corn. Of well matured corn grown 

 for the ears, it would probably be correct to say that more 

 than half the entire weight of the crop and considerably 

 more than half of the nutrients b in the ear. Consequently 

 when cattle and sheep are being fattened, the greater the 

 proportion of ears to the fodder fed the more suitable is 

 it for such fattening. But, as usually fed, the proportion 

 of the stalks rejected will be greater than from corn grown 

 rather to produce fodder than ears, because of the coarse 

 and harsh character of the former. 



When corn is fed simply for maintenance, to promote 

 growth without fattening, or for milk production, the con- 

 sumption of the entire product will be greater when the 

 fodder has been grown so thickly as to reduce the size of 

 ear and stalk. When thus grown, the total yield to the acre 

 of nutrients will also be greater than if grown to produce 

 the largest amount of ears. Consequently the food value of 



