Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-10-15
AGRICULTURAL.

DRY, GREEN, AND ENsILAGED coRN-FoDDER.
Though We have grown and fed both
fodler-corn and corn-fodder for many
years, yet We never tried feeding it alone
to milk cows until the present season.
We confess that we have been disappoint-
ed with it. Until our early sweet corn
was IN the milk we soiled our cows upon
grass. cut upon Amasa Scott's plan, be-
fore the stem appeared, and with excel
| lent results. We had one half-acre of
sweet corn growing in alternate rows with
newly set Strawberries as a shade to the
young plants In August We began cut
ting this and taking about half the best
ears for the pig. giving all the rest to the
cows. The decline in the quantity and
quality of the milk was immediate and
marked An allowance of quart of
meal additional per day did not bring
either quantity or quality back to the
standard of grass. Lately, the sweet
corn being exhausted, We have been feed
ing Sanford corn, which is much better
liked by the cows and, probably as con-
sequence, is producing more milk. We
should not have believed Sanford corn to
he so much better than sweet corn had
We not seen how much better it is eaten.
Yet even the Sanford is inferior to grass.
Cured corn-fodder, if well cured, with
the corn that grew on it ground and fed
with it, has always proved with us SO
nearly equal To fair average hay that we
cou!d not notice difference But when
fed alone it makes very white butter that
is hard TO churn. Nicely cured corn
fodder, not grown so thick but there are
a good many nubbins on it, is better, in
our experience. than average hay for but
ter production.
We have never, however, been able to
get any corn-fodder Of SO good n kind, or
so perfectly cured. that less than twenty
per cent Of the total weight was rejected
by cows. This rejected portion, consist
ing Of the butts OF the stalks, is not n to-
tai loss. as horses will eat good deal of
what the cows leave. We do not believe
that it could be made profitable to force
cows in milk to eat up the best corn-fod-
der, or fodder-corn, perfectly clean. No
doubt they could be starved iuto 1t, but
where is YOUR milk in that case? Iou
won't find much of it i'll the pail.
Here. if anywhere, comes Ill the main
profit of cnsilage. The fermentation Of
ensilaGe. according to ihe chemists, makes
s'pphi ibAii l'l 'Nlai lll'l' w
dieestible than in the RAW state. Add this
to the twenty per cent usually left by the
cows. if not forced tc eat If, and We have
a gam of one-fourth in the feeding value
of ensilage over perfectly cured corn-fod-
der When We consider the difficulty,
and we may say, III some seasons, the
impossibility Of perfectly curing corn
fodder so that it will not mould, we think
it would be fair to say that the gain of
ensilaee las to feeding value) over cured
com-fodder can hardly be, ON an average,
less than onc-third
Ii corn-sodder could be preserved by
ensilage without the production of alco-
hol or vinegar III the mass, there seems
no reason 10 doubt that its use would
prove Of vast benefit to dairy farmers. To
increase the feeding value of fodder-corn
one-third, rs We have no doubt is the
case when ensilagcl, is 10 put it about on
an equality with the best hay cut in
the blossom. When with such ensilage
mixture of bran OF oat meal with corn is
fed to mich cows in winter, We should
expect the milk and butter Weld to be
quite satisfactory. But the effect of sour
and alcoholic ensilage upon the teeth and
stomachs Of cows would, VIC greatly fear
soon prove So injurious that the loss Ill
the end would be greater than the gain.
1t is not impossible that chemistry may
be able TO give us some cheap and harm
less substances which, sprinkled upon the
ensilagc, will prevent these harmful fer
mentatiye processes, and give us per-
fectly sweet ensilage. If this result can
be reached We should expect to see the
use Of ensilage become general on our
dairy farms - Ii'dtchnGn.