CHAPTER XV 

 FODDERS AND STOVERS 



The term fodder may have several meanings. Many of 

 the older writers upon the subject of stock feeding call any 

 feedingstuff a fodder regardless of its nature. Of the more 

 recent authorities, some hmit the term to roughages in 

 general, while others apply the term to the entire cured 

 plant of the large, coarse grasses, such as corn, sorghum, kafir 

 corn, feterita, and milo maize. For the purpose of this 

 book, the latter system of terminology has been adopted. 

 The term stover is applied to the cured stalk, leaves, and 

 husks of these plants after the grain has been removed. 



Corn fodder in the corn-belt refers to the entire corn plant, 

 i.e. stalk, leaves, husk, and ears, cut when ripe. It is also 

 known as shock corn. North, south, and west of the corn- 

 belt the term corn fodder refers to corn which is planted 

 thickly and cut while it is still comparatively green. It 

 contains only a few small ears. Inasmuch as corn is seldom 

 treated in this manner in the corn-belt, we shall limit the 

 meaning of the term to the entire mature corn plant, grown 

 and cut in the ordinary way. 



The average chemical composition of corn-belt corn- 

 fodder is as follows : water, 18.3 per cent ; ash, 4.0 per cent ; 

 crude protein, 6.7 per cent ; crude fiber, 17.0 per cent ; nitro- 

 gen-free extract, 52.1 per cent ; and fat, 1.8 per cent. How- 

 ever, the composition may vary greatly, depending to a 



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