Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-07-23
GREEN FoDDER All THE YEAR.


read before the Farmers Club of tho Amori-
car Institute at late meeting
Born and bred upon the farm, now find,
like others, after many years of professional
and business lnbor, occupation for portion
Of time, with recreation and health, in agri-
culture. ! am glad to avail myself Of the
courtesy of the Farmers Club to state my ex-
perience in cnsilage, or preserving food for
cattle in green state. SO deeply convinced
am !, from experience, of the importance of
this subject to American farmers that shall
make no apology for urging it upon their i'm
mediate attention through this club. l have
practised this system for three years, have
applied it TO common fodder corn, red clover,
pearl-millet West India mllet or Guinea corn,
green rye, green cats and mixed grasses in
which clover predominated, with entire sue
cess in every case. The last year preserved
about one hundred tons. l have never lost
any fodder whatever thus preserved, but dur
ing the whole experiment it has been perfect
ly preserved and better than when fed fresh
and green from the field. As the first fer
mentation is passed in the process the food
thus preserved has no tendency either to
scour or bloat the animals fed. 1t is eaten
up eagerly and clean, leas and stalk, without
any loss whatever, and stock thus fed exhib-
its the highest condition of health and thrift.
For milch cows, to which have mainly fed
it, it surpassos any other food ] have ever
tried. 1t increases the quantity of milk
much beyond dried food, and the quality is
better than that produced from the same fod-
der when fed fresh and. green from the field
This is owing think, to the fact that it does
not scour or bloat the animals while it re-
tains its natural juices and nutritious qualities
in the most digostibe form. The process is
not unlike that by which saurkraut is made,
and solnuch is food thus preserved improved,
especially for mich cows, that think no one
who understands the process and has facili-
ties for practising it would after trial contin-
lie the present method of soiling or feeding
fodder crops fresh cut from the field. The
process is exceedingly simple and easily prac-
tised. The conditions of success are these:
First-The preserving pits or reccptacles
must be wholly air-tight, so that when sealed
the air cannot come in contact with the food
to be preserved.
Stc0Bd-The pits must be of such form
and dimensions rs viii best facilitate the set
Ting and compacting Of the food into II solid
mass, and when opened for feeding will ex-
pose as small part Of the surface to the at
mosphero as practicable.
Ihiyd-The fodder must be cut green when
in the best condition or in bloom. passed i'm
mediately through the cutting machine to re-
duce it to uniform short lengths Of not more
than one inch, aud at once be deposited and
trod firmly into the pit, sufficient salt being
used to render it palatable, but no more. As
fermentation, which will commence at once,
proceeds and the mass settles, the cutting
and treading in OF fresh fodder must be con-
tinued from day TO day, after an interval of
about thirty-siX hours, until the pit is filled
and settling has nearly ceased.
F0UHN-The pit, as soon as completely
filed and settling has ceased, must be secure
ly sealed to exclude the air wholly and arrest
fermentation, and must be kept so sealed I'M
til opened for use. At the risk of prolixity l
will state with more detail my own practice.
THE PRESENTING PITS.
make my pits of hard brick, with Finch
perpendicular walls, well laid in cement with
smooth joints. If the ground is sandy or
gravelly, the outside of the walls next the
earth is covered with a coat of cement, or
the walls are filed in behind with clay, or
clayey earth, to prevent the passage of the
air through them. The bottoms are also laid
with brick upon the flat in cement. The pits
are made from S to 10 feet wide, from lG to
20 feet long, and about II feet deep. The
deeper the pits the more they will contain in
proportion to measurement, owing to greater
density of the contents from the weight of
bic pits should be made at least 20 feet deep.
The walls are made so smooth upon their in
ner sides as to offer no obstacle to the settling
or compacting Of the food by friction of the
sides. These pits are made either open at
the top and covered with roof, or arched
over under ground, with two .nocks to each
coming up within one foot of the surface of
the ground, through which they are filled and
the nocks then sealed with earth. This last
construction l have found most convenient
in connection with basement stables, to which
the food is carried or wheeled by passage
from the pits through the foundation walls of
the stable. In this construction l make one
pit parallel with this foundation wall, and
from the side Of this pit most distant from
the stable, other rows of pits are made at
right angles with and connecting with this,
and with each other by doorways.
1t will be seen from this construction that
as many tiers of pits may be made, end to
end at right angles to the first or entrance
pit as may be required and space allow, and
that after the contents of the first or entrance
pit are fed out, each of the other row of pits
may be opened and fed out, one at a time,
and that only the surface of the food at the
end of the one pit which is being fed will at
any time be exposed to the air until the whole
are fed out-aud this without opening or dis
remain sealed. Any other form or construc-
ton Of pits which answers the conditions
may be used. Pits or wells open only at the
top, either round, elliptical or rectangular
may be used, the food being put in and taken
out through the top only. Such pits would
have one advantage, that successive crop
pings might be put in the same pit one above
the other, each being sealed with layer of
earth when put in. Where sufficient depth
cannot be got above water, pits may be made
partly above and partly below the surface,
the earth excavated being used to make a
broad and firm embankment around them to
their tops.
FILLING THE PIT.
The green fodder is drawn from the fields
as fast as cut, and may be cut in any weather
except during rain. After running through
the cutting machine it is deposited and trod
into the pit firmly until the pit is full. This
doorway at the end of this pit having already
been closed by placing boards across it upon
the inside rs the filling progressed, is now
sealed tightly by placing other boards proper
ly fastened across it upon the outside of the
iambs, aud filling the space between the
jambs with well cOmpacted earth, sothAt no
air can pass into the pit through this door
way; the outer covers are then placed tenn
porariy upon the nocks of this pit above and
covered over with earth to the level of the
ground above A second and, if the cutting
force be large enough, third pit may then
be filled, sealed aud covered like the first
After the first pit has been closed about thir-
ty-six hours the necks must be uncovered and
opened The contents will be found very
warm and thoroughly wlted, and upon being
now trodden down will occupy less than one
half, and if clover not more than one-fourth
of the pit. The pit should then be filed
again trodden firmly and covered temporari-
ly as before. The Sc ,oud ard third pits
should then be opened and filled a second
time in the same manner as the first one.
i. - 4. II I 1