Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-08-13
AGRICULTURAL.
ANSWERS To SOME QUESTIONS on ENsILAGl

ANSWERS To SOME QUESTIONS ON ENSILAGE
Mr.. John NJ. Bailey, of Winning Farm,
Mass, answers, in the Country Gentle
man, some questions on the subject OF
ensilage, as follows:
IF corn-fodder is SO much better kept
green, would it not also pay to secure our
grass the same way?" This question Is
asked by NJ. of Vermont. In reply l
will say that for feeding, there is no
doubt but that grass crop would be
worth twice as much preserved by ensll-
age as by drying. have ensilaged this
season % tons of grass and about 60 tons
of green rye The land upon which the
rye was raised bore crop of fodder corn
last wear. 1t was planted again as soon
as the rye was cut, and is now green with
the luxuriant ensilage corn. Thus two
full crops can be raised in one year even
in this latitude. Better dry the hay,
however, and sell it, and raise rye and
corn-fodder to ensilage for the susie
nance of home stock.
A. of Virginia wants to know howmuch
sowed corn-fodder it takes to contain as
much nutriment as q barrel of corn. A
barrel of corn in Virginia holds five bush
els of shelled corn. Now, it will depend
upon how the corn is sowed. Ii sowed
thickly broadcast or in drills (as some
who know no better recommend) II TO Is
inches apart, it Will take an almost I'M
limited amount, but if the fodder corn Is
sown in drills, 3 to 4 feet apart, using
one-half to one bushel Of seed, and cut
when it is in the full bloom or in the milk,
and allowed to pass through the soften
ing and fermentive process OF ensllage, 1t
will take about $50 pounds to be equal
to barrel of corn.
DIR. Wolff gives the value of average
hay at Gle. per 100 pounds. Ensilaged
corn-fodder containing 50 per cent. OF
water, according to the most careful ex-
periments | have been able to make is
worth one-half as much as good hay.
This makes the corn-f fodder thus prepar
ed worth, on the same basis, 32c. per
100 pounds. DIR. Wolff also gives the
value of corn as Sl.10 per hundred
pounds. Prof. johnson gives the value
of corn meal as S1.04 per 100 pounds
therefore barrel of corn would beworth,
according to the German chemist, S3.OS.
By dividing S3.0s by 32c., the value of
the corn fodder, we have almost 1853
pounds as the amount of green corn-fod-
der properly preserved), which is the
equivalent of barrel Of corn. By com
putting it according to the valuation Of
corn meal by Prof. johnson, We find that
80 pounds of ensilaged corn-fodder is
equal to a barrel of corn ground into
meal
S. r. is informed that judging from my
experience in ensilaging corn fodder it
would be impossible to prevent decay
and loss from the exposure OF the outside
of the bales of green corn fodder to
the action of the oxygen in the atmos-
phere. filed some glass fruit jars the
last of May with ensilage, packing it in
as tightly as possible one jar got broken
on the edge SO that it could not be made
tight l left it exposed to the action of
the atmosphere At this time June l4th)
it has decayed down about four inches
there is still over an inch uninjured at the
bottom. filled one large glass jar and
pasted piece of MANILA paper over the
top, and then vanished the paper the
ensilage (which had lain in the silo near
ly eight months) has not changed par
ticle since it was packed i'll the jar over
six weeks ago. There are to be seen
few maggots in the decayed portion of
the ensilage in the open jar ; there is,
however, no disagreeable or strong odor
to it. 1t appears to be so completely
cured while lying in the silo, that if pack
ed solidly so that the air cannot readily
enter, decay takes place very slowly. L
shall pack some corn fodder fresh from
the field, in day or two, in jar and see
if it decays faster or slower than the en-
silage when left exposed on top to the
action Of the atmosphere. At all events
bales of corn fodder with four inches of
maggotty and decayed matter around
each bale would not be interesting arti-
cles TO handle or have about.
EHsiIage UiH not be successful unless
rightly done. Simple pits dug in solid
and impervious clay will answer reasona-
bly, well, although the work and labor
will be much greater than with silos of
stone, brick or concrete. Pits in gravel
" soil, or one that admits the free circu-
lation of air and water will generally
prove failures
Iperceive by the articles and letters
brought out by my great expectations of
raising 70 tons of corn-fodder upon an
acre of land, that most farmers still SOW
or drill their corn-fodder very thickly. l
think it great mistake | use from two
to three pecks of Mammoth Ensilage
seed corn to the acre. When l have used
the larger quantity / have had to thin
out believe on land in proper condi-
ton two pecks are ample. l think that
the reason why so small an amount of my
preserved corn-fodder is sufficient to sup
port an animal, is explained by my man.
ner Of raising the same. There is no
comparison between my large, wellde-
veloped stalks, covered from the ground
to the tassel with dark green, luxuriant
foliage, with from three to nine rudi-
mentary ears Just showing their silken
hair, and the slender, colorless stalks
grown with thick seeding. Even Dr.
Loring admits that corn-sodder raised as l
raise it, and cut when in full tassel, is
most excellent cattle food.