318 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



small that when corn is very cheap the increased efficiency may 

 not meet the expense of grinding. The following concise advice is 

 commended: This subject is a difficult one to discuss owing to the 

 great variety of conditions existing as to both grain and animals. 

 Directions are here given which may serve to guide the feeder in his 

 practice. For horses which are out of the stable during the day and 

 worked hard, all grain, with the possible exception of oats should be 

 ground. For those at extremely hard work, all grain should be 

 ground and mixed with chaffed hay. For idle horses oats or corn 

 should not be ground, nor need the hay or straw be chaffed. A 

 cow yielding a large flow of milk should be regarded as a hard work- 

 ing animal and her feed prepared accordingly. Fattening steers 

 and pigs may be crowded more rapidly with meal than with whole 

 grain, though there is more danger attendant upon its use. Sheep 

 worth feeding can always grind their own grain. In general, idle 

 animals and those having ample time for mastication, rumination 

 and digestion do not need their grain or roughage prepared as care- 

 fully as do those with only limited time for these essential opera- 

 tions. Experiments quite generally show increased gains from grind- 

 ing grain, but in many cases they are not sufficient to pay the cost 

 of grinding. It is believed that it will pay to grind or crush corn 

 for calves, colts and all young cattle in the average season, particu- 

 larly if they are to be fed strong, and it will undoubtedly pay to 

 Erepare corn in this way for dairy cows in any season. It is not 

 elieved that the cob has any considerable nutritive value, but it 

 seems to have a very favorable effect upon the mechanical condition 

 of the grain in the stomach of the animal. 



VALUE OF SOFT CORN FOR BEEF PRODUCTION. 



The early fall frosts affect the corn crop in the central and 

 northern states more or less each year. The crop of 1902 was seri- 

 ously damaged in many sections by the early September frost. The 

 yield per acre was very much reduced. The percentage of market- 

 able corn was a variable quantity. In some sections practically all 

 of the corn was worthless from a regular market standpoint, due to 

 the fact that it was too soft and watery for shipping purposes. 



This presented a serious condition of affairs. There was then 

 but one way to utilize that portion of the crop which was soft and 

 immature. It must be fed to live stock. The feeding value of the 

 soft corn at once became a question of vital interest. Many men 

 regarded it as being worthless from a feeding standpoint. Some 

 claimed that the frost affected the composition, thus the necessary 

 food constituents were not present. Others claimed that that part 

 of the food value which was not present in the corn grain proper was 

 contained in the cob, thus by the utilization of both the cob and 

 corn all the food nutrients could be obtained. It was also claimed 

 by many that this soft corn might give fairly good results at the 

 beginning of the fattening period, but that it would be impossible to 

 finish animals on the same. 



There certainly was an urgent need for some information 

 which would enlighten the people on the feeding value of soft corn. 



