MAIZE GRAIN AS FOOD 705 



situation without becoming impressed with the belief that the CHAP, 

 better class of these [western] feeders are, after all, about right XIV - 

 in this practice. Maize," he adds, "is never so acceptable to 

 a steer as when in the husk. There is a freshness and pay- 

 ability about an ear of corn wrapped in Nature's covering 

 which every steer recognizes and shows by the eagerness with 

 which he consumes it." 



" Snapped corn," i.e. the ear severed from the stalks but still 

 wrapped in the husks, is successfully used for steer feeding. 



"In general, directions for feeding cheap maize may be 

 summed up by the single statement : Let the feeder supply 

 this grain to his cattle in the most inexpensive manner possible 

 so long as they consume full rations without difficulty in 

 mastication." 



The Texas Station {Bull. 2) made a saving of 3 per cent 

 by feeding both cob and husk with the grain. The husked 

 ears were coarsely ground. 



661. Frequency of Feeding Grain. — "It is reasonable that 

 all young animals should be fed at least three times a day, 

 while those approaching maturity and not being heavily fed are 

 amply provided for in two feeds. 



"Maturing cattle prosper, and perhaps do their best, when 

 supplied grain but once a day. The once- fed steer goes to 

 the trough with paunch well emptied and appetite at the best ; 

 filling himself to the utmost, he has ample time for rumination 

 and subsequent digestion " (Henry, 1). 



662. Preparation of Grain for Feeding. — In the dry interior 

 districts maize on the cob stored in the hock becomes very 

 hard and dry, the moisture-content falling from 20 per cent 

 to 10 or even 9 per cent. In this condition it may hurt the 

 mouths of animals in the process of mastication. With some 

 breeds of maize the large size of the ear makes it difficult to 

 get it into the mouth. In such cases some form of treatment 

 before feeding may be found necessary. The methods usually- 

 practised are (1) to break the ears in the feed-box into three 

 or four pieces with a hatchet — this is somewhat crude, but 

 simple ; (2) to run the ears, with or without the husks, through 

 a crusher, which reduces them to a reasonable degree of fine- 

 ness, breaking the cobs into many pieces and cracking some of 

 the grains ; (3 ) to soak the grain, which enables the animal to 



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