Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-07-28
Ensilage.

The French have furnished us with this
word equivalent to "pitted (or pitting)
green feed'), and as we have no single Eng.
fish word that covers the meaning, it will
probably be adopted by those who find this
method of curing green fodder profitable
In reply TO the queries of readers we have
not expressed ourself as very enthusiastic
about its adaptability to the needs of Yer.
mont farmers. We all have, or can have
its equivalent in various roots which we do
not need to be air-tighted in order to be kept
The ensilage undergoes alcoholic fermenta
ton, and we have serious doubts regarding
the health of cows, and the healthfulness of
their products, when they are fed upon food
containing nearly as much alcohol as lager
beer, together with considerable amount
of vinegar AS partial feed for fatting
stock it may prove to be valuable, for aco
bolized food seems to promote fattening for
while. Other considerations against the
profit of using ensilage in Vermont are the
difficulty of keeping it from freezing, the
cost of the silos, the much greater bulk to
be handled twice (Which is a serious objec
ton even TO the use of roots, where they can
not be fed off the grouud), and the ease with
which we can raise grass and make hay when
we are willing to give our mowings as much
care and lay out as much manure and la
Dor on them as we must do to grow and
handle ensilage.
Some of the advocates of ensilage are
plainly semi-lunatic enthusiasts (our fathers
would have called them half-crazy fools, but
we must be more polite in these degener
ate days,") who cannot restrain themselves
within the bounds of truth or probability
These are talking of raising sixty and
seventy tons of green corn fodder to the
acre, and are claiming that sixty pounds Of
ensilage is sufficient for days ration to
cows in milk. 1t is safe to say that nobody
in Vermont will ever exceed twenty-five tons
of green corn fodder to the acre, and equally
safe to say that COWS cannot be long kept in
good health on ensilage alone. The ques
ton of ensilage is, for Vermont dairymen
only the question which is best and cheap
est as variety food for their cows, ensilage
or roots. Nothing can be found to surpass
we believe nothing can be found to equal
well cured early cut hay for milk and
butter making food. But cows in milk
shut up for the long six months of our win.
tiers, need some variety in their diet. 1t is
also of advantage to the farmer to feed some
coarse fodder in connection with grain, oil
meals and mill stuff, and when these are used
better digestion and more profitable results
are obtained by feeding some succulent food
with them. The question with our farmers
will be, which will be best for this purpose
and cheapest, all things considered. In some
cases it may be that ensilage will be found
the best and handiest of anything. But
when we consider the cost of permanent
silos, the necessity for an expensive machine
with power to cut the fodder as rapidly as ii
must be in order to close the slo promptly
before fermentation begins; when we re.
member the careful protection that will be
needed against freezing, and the difficulty Of
performing all the operations so as to secure
good results every time, we cannot think
that ensilage will ever be likely to prove a
great success in Vermont. In more southern
regions, where the larger kinds of corn are
grown with success, while grass is grown
with difficulty, and especially where the OBJ
iective point is not choice butter and cheese
but quickly and cheaply fatted beef, we dc
not doubt that on large farms, with abund
ant capital, ensilage may be made to enter
profitably into the system adopted for such
purpose.