The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1880-10-15
EHSiiagC.

Inc practice OF preserving green fodder,
such as green corn stalks, etc, has been fire.
qUcuili mentioned in tie agricultural papers
in tiic past five years. In various places in
i the United -lrtrs rs well as Enrupc, il has
been successfully pr,ticcl and Dr. John NJ.
| iHilgy, ul Iiallcrca, Mass. has written q book
OttWo hundred pages, in which he gives ample
directions for building silos, in which 10 keep
al kinds Of green fodder, something Ike the
manner in which cabbage is made into cr0ut
a silo is Il cstcu or vat, air and water-tight
on the bottom and sides, with an open Top,
constructed OF stone, bricks or concrete, In
| this is stored any kind of green forage crops,
such Il corn, sorgho, rye, oats, millct, l1ungari
| an grass clover, and all the grasses This
| forage, when they are in their most succulcnt
| state, containing their largest nutIiivc quail
| ties, are taken directly from the field run
| through cutter which cuts them into pieces
| less than half an inch in length, which is
| then dumped into the silo and tramped or
beaten down solidly. When the silo is near
ly full il is covered over first with straw,
then with boards, and heavy weights put
on. In this situation it undergocs fermenta-
ton, when it is called cnsilage This is fed
to all kinds of stock all winter and the next
spring until grass. 1t is represented as eX-
cccdingly nutritious, and especially so for
COWS
DR.. Bailey says he believes it is possible
to keep your cows one year upon cOrn-fod-
der cnsilagc raised upon one acre of land
One favorable feature of this discovery is,
there is no patent on it, nor is there likely to
be, unless they do like the drive-well patent,
get one granted after the article is pretty
generally in use.
Mr.. Jndkins, a neighbor of DR.. Bailey, says
he has used the ensilage with his dairy COWS
for one winter and finds it costs less than
onC-haf what hay and grain do; that there
is Il much larger and richer yield ofmilk than
on dry food that the flavor of the butter is
excellent, and that the color is good yellow,
equal to that which sweet pasture gives
When changing cows from dry food to ensi
lagc they largely increase in milk, some
doubling their previous quantity:
Feeding Cows.
A COW should never be ovcrfed. She
should never be allowed to fall off in her
milk, either in quantity orquaity. Her feed
ing should be as regular as her milking. In
summer strict watch should be kept Of the
pastures If they begin TO fail, then other
feed should be supplcmcnted-eithc fodder,
corn or some of the green cereals. An extra
good COW ought on no account be forced to
give milk beyond her normal quantity. If
this is done il will be at the expense of her
constitution as well as that of her progeny.
Beyond Il rational amount offOOd even fthc
animal can digest it, there can be no profit
Again, no two cows will eat the same amount
ofiood, while perhaps, one COW prefers a
little different feed from another and TO these
points the feeder should pay II good deal of
attention. See that they all have enough
none of them too much Then if one COW
prefers a finer and another will eat "a coarse
grown hay, see that they are fed accordingto
their preferences, and do not have the coarse
hay fed TO one which prefers fine and the fine
to one which would eat ihCcoarse. lfthc COWS
have Ia drink from any place other than
brook or river, do not turn out more than
two at 4 time. Many Of our hired men OK
pcCt Il cow to drink like horse which they
certainly do not Lead n horse to the trough
and he win drinl; Immediately or not at ALL
but COW will usually stand and look, wet
her lips and sips mouthful half dozen
times before she begins to drink in good
earnest \ number OF COWS, however, will
drink Immediately. But in case Of either
cows or horses, proper care cannot be taken
Of them till their pcCuliarities are well under
stood and whoever undertakes to make the
most of his stock must make every individ-
ual one special study. If cows are watercd
out If pail it may be found that one animal
will drink only from a certain pail, and if
change Is made it will DC instantly detected.
Few COWS viii cat hay that another COW has
hrcathud upon. Il is wei 10 humOr the ami
NAL in such cases, while studying 10 supply
the proper quality and quantity Of food
.int,iic,l LHHtcdtOr.