' i i BBWfH
, .
T3be Conservative *
COUN STOVEK--1TS CONSKKVATION.
A machiiio 1ms recently been invented
nnd patented that is destined to give anew
now impetus to farming in the corn
growing states nnd to increase the value
of farm lands in each. It is a machine
for separating the pith from the corn
plant so that the nutritious portions
which remain can bo reduced to a suit
able condition for profitable feeding to
stock and thus benefit the farmers and
stockraisers. This pith when eaten by
stock as it is found in corn stover , is not
only indigestible and possesses only a
very limited amount of nutrition , but it
also , on account of its wonderful absorp
tive property , nullifies to a largo extent
the juices that are necessary to the
proper digestion of food. Hence the
corn stalks are only partly consumed
in the field by stock , and the larger
bulk is allowed to decay. When this
indigestible ingredient is eliminated
from the stover , that which remains
becomes a very nutritious article of
food , readily digested and very valuable
as a substitute for hay. It is estimated
that in the state of Nebraska alone ,
nearly seven million tons of this corn
stover of the crop of 1898 , were prac
tically wasted. THE CONSERVATIVE
thinks that the immense crop now in.
prospect of 1899 will result in more
than ten million tons of the corn plant
in Nebraska being largely wasted , after
the corn is husked. By the separation
of the pith from the stover and thus re
ducing it to a nutritious condition for
feeding it can be readily seen what a
great saving will bo effected to the farm
ers of this state. What is true of Ne
braska is also true of Kansas , Iowa ,
Missouri , Illinois , Indiana , Ohio , and
other corn growing states. It is esti
mated in these states mentioned , nearly
forty-eight million tons of corn stover
were raised in 1898 , and that most of it
was not economically utilized on ac
count of its indigestible nature , result
ing from the presence of this pith. The
report of the department of agriculture
at Washington states that one acre of
corn stalks contains 1642 pounds of di
gestible matter , while two tons of
clover hay contain only 1886 pounds ,
and two tons of timothy hay 1892
pounds. The general average over the
country of timothy and clover hay is
not two tons per acre. It will thus bo
seen from official reports that one acre
of corn stalks after the corn is husked
contains nearly as much digestible ma
terial as an acre of clover or timothy
hay. Hence the farmer who has here
tofore raised the corn plant for the
grain can increase the productive yield
of each aero at least one-half , if the corn
stover is properly utilized , and it can be
properly utilized by eliminating the
pith. The earning capacity of his land
is increased at least one-half and the
value thereof proportionately enhanced.
Every acre of corn stover should bo
taken care of as each aero of hay laud
is cared for , and it can bo done in as
cheap a manner. In a country where
mixed husbandry is a necessity , where
farming and stock raising go hand in
hand , the benefits arising from the util
izing of the corn stover can hardly bo
estimated. By removing the pith from
the stalk the cornfield becomes as valua
ble to him for stock purposes as so many
acres of hay laud. The greater amount
of stock ho can raise annually the nioro
independent ho becomes. The farmer
not only has corn for his stock but
through the corn stover is amply pro
vided for hay.
Corn Pith.
Pith is a great absorbent of moisture.
It is very dry and porous. It is almost
devoid of feeding value and is a highly
detrimental matter to take into the
stomach. It will readily absorb from
eight3en to twenty-five times its weight
in moisture and when freed from the
shell it swells to about ten times its ori
ginal bulk. On account of this property
of absorption and swelling it is success
fully used in warships to quickly close
a hole made by a projectile and so stop
a leak. So great is its absorptive power
that not a drop of water enters the ves
sel. It is this same wonderful absorp
tive property of the pith that makes it
so detrimental for feeding cattle because ,
if it absorbs water outside the animal's
stomach , why should it not absorb the
digestive fluids all along the digestive
tract before they have a chance to di
gest the food materials in corn fodder ?
As soon as the pith in the stover outers
the animal's mouth it begins this pro
cess of absorption and continues it
throughout the entire process of diges
tion. A feed of twenty pounds of corn
stover contains about four pounds of
corn pith , a useless material. This can
absorb from sixty to eighty pounds of
water and digestive fluids in the mouth
and stomach of the animal. This is an
unnatural drain on the animal's system.
What the farmer needs is some
method by which this pith can be separ
ated from the corn plant in an econom
ical manner , so that the remaining nut
rient food can be eaten by the animal
and thoroughly digested. He wants a
machine that can be easily managed ,
one that does not require power beyond
that which he controls , and one that
can be handled by the help he has at
homo. If he can get a machine at a
reasonable expense , one that will hold
the same relation to his cornfield that
the mowing machine does to his hayfield -
field , ho is just as sure of having a crop
of nourishing feed as good as hay as he
is of having a corn crop.
Sherwood's Invention.
Such a machine has boon invented
and patented by George B. Sherwood ,
of Kearney , Neb. Mr. Sherwood has
spout years in work and study on this
machine until he has perfected one
which will be successful beyond any
question , and one which is fully pro
tected by patents. Ho has invented a
machine that will cheaply nnd perfectly
separate the pith from the stover and
one that will be of unquestionable bene
fit to the farmer of the corn growing
states , on account of its simplicity ,
practicability , and the ease with which
it can bo worked. This machine has
been examined by prominent agricul
turists , master mechanics , and others ,
and each pronounces it a success. If ,
through the agency of a simple machine ,
the several million tons of corn stover
that are produced in the state of Ne
braska alone , can bo made useful as an
article of food instead of being largely
trampled under foot by stock and per
mitted to rot , a person can readily see
the great saving it will be to the state
of Nebraska by feeding this waste corn
plant and thus increasing stock feeding
and stock raising in our state. The
yield of hay in Nebraska for 1898 ,
amounted to a little over three million
tons , while the estimated product of
stover amounted to over seven million
tons. Each ton of this stover is worth
from $8.50 to $5.00. By utilizing this ,
taking the basis of 1898 , as an average ,
there will be a saving of feed for stock
in our state amounting to about thirty
million dollars. This is a matter which
should receive the closest attention of
all persons who are interested in the de
velopment of our state. Farming and
stockraisiug are largely the foundation
of prosperity and anything that tends to
make the farm more productive and re
munerative increases the prosperity of
the country at largo. Sometimes the
simplest devices bring about the great
est results. The machine patented by
Mr. Sherwood is simple and practical.
It is one that each individual farmer can
afford to have on his farm. It is not
intended to revolutionize or change the
methods of farming. The farmer will
plant , cultivate and harvest his corn
just as he has been accustomed to
do , but instead of simply saving the
kernel and permitting the stalk to go to
waste , through the agency of a machine
of this kind he will utilize the entire
crop and convert it into a most profit
able article of food. In this manner he
will almost double the earnings of his
corn crop.
No law can give freedom to the slave
any more than inability can be presti-
digitated into ability by law.
What folly to proclaim a love for hu
manity which no one has for the major
ity of individuals composing it !
The world is full of atheists though
they know it not. Atheism is the dog
matism of ignorance. Religion is the
positivism of self-knowledge.