The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1880-10-28
Time When Forage Plants COntal1
the Greatest Amount Of MI
tritive Value.

" IL Us
been this, that grass contains a greater
amount of nutrition when in blossom than
at any time before or afterwards.
What is true of the common grasses, VII.
timothy, red top, orchard grass, and clover
is equally true Of cora, which is but a 81
gantic grass.
IF, then. d stalk Of corn contains at the
time il blossoms more nutrive value than Al
any subsequent time, how foolish aud waste
full to let it stand for the ear TO form al the
expense of the stalk, while at the same time
great loss is going or from the leaves and
the stalk. as in the case with other and
smaller grasses.
The seed formed in the head Of a stalk Of
timothy or other ~grass-while very rich and
nutritious in itself-docs not by any means
compensate for the loss which has been sus-
tanned by the stalk and leaves while the seed
is forming and ripenlng.
The loss which is sustained in the ripen-
ing process is not all. BY expanding a great
amount CT labour the corn is shocked and
put in the cribs. There it suffers more or
less from the dep: edations of rats, mice, aud
other veTmin.
We re-shock or stack the corn fodder.
If We hope or expect to induce our cattle to
eat much of the slower, We must cut it with
a powerful cutter; next the corn must be
ground, and carefully mixed with the cut
corn-fodder. Then it must be steamed; and
after all this labour and expense the stock
will nose it about in their Managers, and
leave enough of it to keep themselves well
bedded. Now what do we accomplish by
all this shocking, %cribbing, grinding, cut
ting of the fodder, mixing and steaming.
Why, we have been getting up a very poor
quality OF ''Ensilage!"
After the stalks and leaves had become
almost worthless by exposure to the rains
and dews while the ripening of the ears was
being accomplished, we then, by an expen-
sive, iaborious, and roundabout way, try
with all the appliances a steam and ma
chinery to get the corn back into the stalks
so that we can induce eur cattle to eat them.
Why not take and preserve the plant
when its nutritive value is the greatest z
when all its valuable elements are mixed and
blended in an harmonious whole exactly
adapted for the sustenance Of our domestic
animals, by that Master Chemist whose
handiwork as shown in the tiniest leaf is SO
far in advance of cur most skilful ccmbina-
tor. that we can never even hope to COM
prehend how it was formed from the orig
inal elements.
1t will be almost unnecess lry to state that
this system of preserving corn-iodder is
equally well adapted to all the grasses, clo-
yer, Hungarian grass, millet. pea and bean
vines, and. in fact, to all kinds of forage
crops, particularly heavy crops of aftermath.
which it is often impossible to cure by dy-
ing, owning to the latcness of the season
the sun by the obliquity of its rays having
lost much of its potency.
There is no doubt in my mind that there
is more available nutrition in a kernel of
grain when it is fully grown, before it has
bal t;,po RI harden bpfnrp a mart of cuh
stance has been converted into = hard, tough
envelope which is almost indigestible, than
at any subsequent time. This hard protec
ting envelope il a wise and providential pro-
vision TO protect the kernel as a seed for fu-
ture crops. Heretofore no means have been
known to preserve grain except by ripen-
ing and drying, nor to cure forage crops ex-
cept by drying: since Ensilage has been
proved practical, we may now harvest all
our crops when they contain the greatest
available amount Of assimilable nutrive ell
ements, and preserve them unimpaired in
definitely. In this view of the object of
ripening grain, the conclusion is irresistible
that the nutritive acme in corn and other
grain is to be found at or before the bios
soming period, as it is in the grasses.
1t is by no means certain, so far as the
kernel of grain itself is concerned, that the
ripened grain contains as large an amount
of available nutritive elements as it does
when in the milk. | have often observed
that pigs when fed upon soft corn grow bet
ter than when fed upon old corn. Expe-
riments in feeding swine at the West, re-
ported in 1.-The National Live Stock Jour
nal" shows this.
'ExPLANATIoNs WHY ENSILAGE MUST KEEP.
Many farmers and others came to see the
process of filling the Silo with the green
corn-fodder: nearly all declared that it
would spoil, mould, heat and rot. Several
said, Il guess you will havo a fine lot of
it will not spoil at all it will not even
heat it will come out just as good feeding
stuff as it is now, and | think better"
None of them believed a word l said, it
was plain to be seen. They were certain
that this last Of my ''~new-fangled notions
would prove a complete failure, and they
would have the laugh on me this time.
Some endeavoured to cheer up by saying
hat ''even if it did not work well for the pur-
pose | intended, the Silos would be a capital
place to store fruit III, so that it won't be all
oss, any way.
This kind of talk had been going on for
days, and was, confess, getting to
be rather monotonous. One day a number
Dl NtI- ulCduiHS pue luClCuuiOuS neighbour h.
ng farmers were present. They knew F.;
of Agricultural chemistry, or the !
philosophy of its preservation; but that the
green corn-fodder would keep instead of ;
'otting therefore l said, you think it will :
,eat and spoil, do you r'-'Yes. | am afraid :
t WILL" said they, each and all."-Now, l $
you it won't do any such thing" ''Why :
won't it? what makes you think so 2" they
asked. ] knew that l might quote NJ. Gof
fart, and all the agricultural scientists in the {
world to them till doomsday, and it would I
nave no impression on their minds, so | |
.ook homely illustrations. Said |, 'Why {
doesn't a pile Of horse manure heat when it 9
S left in the stable all winter under the feet |
IF the horses, until it gets three or four feet t
Why doesn't sheep manure heat '
when it is left all winter in the sheep-folds, $
nd becomes a foot and a half to two feet
eep ?" Because it is trod Town so solid, the I
ar can't get into it. Just so that is the '
reason this corn-fodder won neat and spoil
t is 'trod down so solid that the air can't
!, into it." | rejoined. This was rather
/ staggerer. as there anything which is
to heat when it has a chance than
cloa~ y