1 86 _ BOTANY OF CROP PLANTS 



leaves, and ears — and in this form is fed to stock. Corn 

 stover is the stalks of corn from which the ears have been 

 husked; the stalks may be fed in the bundle form or shredded. 

 Fodder is an important silage crop. In the form of silage, 

 it makes a highly nutritious, succulent feed throughout the 

 winter. Silage is a forage prepared by fermenting green, 

 fresh, plants in a specially constructed air-tight receptacle, 

 called a silo. The material to be ensilaged is cut into fine 

 pieces and packed into the silo. Forage crops include, ac- 

 cording to common usage, those plants which are grown 

 for their vegetative parts and which are eaten, either in the 

 green or dry state, by herbivorous animals. Some plants, 

 such as sorghums, are grown for their grain and also for 

 their herbage, that is, they are both a cereal and a forage 

 crop. Com is also both a cereal and a forage crop. The 

 grass family (Gramineae) and the pea family (Leguminosas) 

 furnish the great majority of forage plants. Corn grain and 

 corn bran are important stock foods. 



Other Corn Products.- — The pith from the stalks is made 

 into explosives and also employed as a packing material 

 where extreme lightness of weight is required. Corn cobs 

 are still in demand for pipes. A fine grade of charcoal is 

 manufactured from corn cobs. Paper is made from the 

 stalks, and packing for mattresses from the husks. When oil 

 is pressed from the embryos, there is left the corn cake, which 

 may be utilized as a food for stock. Gluten meal, a by- 

 product from starch factories, is also not infrequently fed to 

 stock. Corn is the most economical source of starch for 

 alcohol manufacture in the United States. One ton of corn 

 gives about 90 gallons of 94 per cent, alcohol. 



Production of Corn.— In 1914, the United States produced 

 2,672^804,000 bushels of corn, which was over 70 per cent, 

 of total production for the world. The country ranking 



