154 THE BOOK OF CORN 



fodder. The tendency to mold seems much greater 

 than in hays and other kinds of rough feed. It has 

 been determined, however, that this difficulty can be 

 remedied by thorough curing. For instance, an exam- 

 ination of a lot of hay and a lot of fodder would indi- 

 cate that they contain about the same amount of mois- 

 ture. Analysis will show, however, that the fodder 

 contains fifteen to twenty per cent more. There was 

 some loss of shredded fodder when the machines were 

 first placed on the market. Of late there has been but 

 little complaint. Another drawback is the cost of oper- 

 ating the shredders. In many localities this is so high 

 as to be almost prohibitive, but with improved machin- 

 ery and a better acquaintance with the shredded fodder 

 this difficulty will gradually disappear. The common 

 practice in most localities is to charge one dollar to 

 one dollar and a half an hour, or one dollar to two dol- 

 lars per acre. The husked cOrn is run into wagons and 

 taken to market, while the fodder is run into a barn or 

 a baling press. 



Extensive experiments by practical feeders and 

 experiment stations indicate that unhusked fodder is 

 the most palatable. There is an aroma about the ear 

 taken direct from the husk by the animal that is lost if 

 it is removed and stored in a crib. Not only does the 

 animal like the feed better, but a larger amount is 

 consumed and gains are more rapid. Where large- 

 eared varieties are grown it may be necessary to break 

 the ears before giving to cattle, but this should be done 

 just before feeding. This is much more widely recog- 

 nized by dairymen and by feeders than ten years ago. 



HUSKING STANDING CORN 



By far the most serious task in raising corn is 

 the matter of husking it in the field. Up to date no 

 practical machine adapted to this purpose has ap- 



