The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-09-11
About the Farm.
BY A FARMER.

MARYLAND. He says:
Il have been requested to give my expe-
rience in growing corn fodder, preserving IL
in silos or trenches, and feeding 1T to stock.
I sowed on the first Of August, 1876, about
five acres. in drills three feet apart, and
about a bushel of corn to the acre. h
was worked twice with a cultlvator and was
in tassel in the first days in October. We
cut the same with a moving machine, car
ried it in wagons to the feed cutter; cut 1t up
in one inch pieces, and added to it an amount
of wheat straw, cut up In same manner,
equal to one fifth OF the corn fodder.
II had three silos (trenches) bricked up
underneath my stone barn. They were ten
feet deep, 4 feet wide and "a feet long. The
fodder wa well packed down in these trench
es by treading upon it while the mixture was
put in, and then covered with boards, with
large, heavy stones upon them. After the
weights had pressed it down very consider
ABLY. they we're taken off, the boards cover
ed with straw, and then with clay, the clay
being we'll packed, made a perfect protection
against the oxygen of the air penetrating
1t.
Christmas, and [ fed all my milking COW
their portion, and when they left, the other
COWS ate it, and from that day | have never
fed it to an animal that has refused it-horses,
mules, oxen. COWS, sheep and hogs, will
all leave any other food and eat this from
choice.
'In the year 1877, from want of personal
attention and from a very dry time, my corn
fodder was not as large a crop as it should
have been, but it was sufficient to feed near
ly one thousand head of stock for over W
months; it was equally good in quality as it
was in 1877. For this year-lS7S-l have
more than double the quantity of this fod-
der. | have made and filled very large
trench out of doors, which will hold from 80
to IS tons, besides filling the three trenches
in the barn.
I'm a long experience in raising stock, l
have found corn fodder, preserved as above,
the best food for mich cows that | ever used.
1t is equal, If not superior to j une grass;
and its cultivation is SO easy, its preserva-
ton so inexpensive, that to-day no one can
estimate its advantages to the agriculturist.
The average hay crop of New York State is
not equal to one ton per acre, and every one
knows what a costly crop it is to raise, to
care and preserve afteri it is raised, while our
corn crop will grow and flourish with the
most ordinary care.
twenty-five tons to the acre, with a light
dressing of barn-yard manure and working
it twice with a cultivator, is a small crop.
Add to the manure a dressing of guano, and
more than double the quantity can be raised
to the acre. l am almost afraid to state the
quantity that can be thus raised per acre.
Suppose, however, we put the product down
to % tons per acre, what would be the result
in n. Y. State if one tenth of her arabic
land was used in this way? We should
nave to double the number of our horses,
cows, sheep and all our stock, and after do
ing that, double them again. In fact, the
amount Of stock that could be maintained is
SO great that we should be wholly indepen-
dent of the West. The old adage mo
wheat production in n. Y. State. The
lands are all SO indifferent in quality that he
must be a bold farmer who now sows a field
of wheat. But the corn fodder, which it is
now proposed to raise will give such a yearly
amount OF manure as will enable every
farmer to get a wheat crop of 80 to 40 bush
els to the acre, and succeed that by clover.
After that is done, his progress to a maxi
mum yield of cereals will be very rapid.
POINTS o ENsILAGE OF MAIZE.
All fermentation, both before and after
packing away, must be avoided to attain per-
feet preservation. Protect the trench well
against the external air, and also press out
the air which is all through the mass, by
heavy weights on the boards covering it.
When well pressed and settled together,
cover tightly with clay or compact earth.
Never leave the fodder in the field to dry at
all, but get it chopped fine and into the
trenches as soon as possible after being cut
down. 1t is better to cut it half inch than
longer, for it will pack closer when short,
and exclude the air better. When the trench
is full and we'll trod down, cover about two
inches of straw over it, then cover all close
ly with board. laid across the trench instead
Of l%engthwise, as in this way, when you come
to use it, a little can be uncovered at a time,
and chopped down to the bottom of the
trench.
After putting the boards on, cover them
evenly with very heavy weights, rocks or
bags OF earth can be used-one thousand
pounds to the square yard for an eight or
ten foot deep trench would be none too