Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-06-18
AGRICULTURAL.
"ENsILAGE"- 'sILos."
From the Massachusetts Ploushmaa.l

satisfactory, for the cost of milk depend
as much on location, price and quality
land, and the intelligence and shrewt
ness of the farmer, rs il does on the KIN
of food given. On the cheap, rich graz
ing land of the Southwest. milk can prof.
ably be produced on grass and hay. TO
a cent quart but here in New Eng
land, in the neighborbood of large town
and cities, where land costs from 800
81, 900 per acre, it would be difficult t
produce it on hay and grass for two cent
a quart, yet within Il few months We hay
heard shrewd Massachusetts farmer de
clare that he had produced milk on ha.
and grass for less than a cent quart
What the farmer desires most to know
is, the advantages the feeding of ensilag
secures over that of dry hay or fodder
When he fully understands this he will b.
better able to decide if it is best for hin
to abandon dry for green food for hi'
stock
NJ. Goff.,rt, of France who was tho
founder of TIE system and who has hat
more experience in feeding ensilage than
any other individual, SAYS that COW Of
ordinary size will consume sixty-twC
pounds of ensilage in Il day, which is
consumed of dry hay he also states that
the average yield of corn fodder is forty
tons to an acre to. grow that amount
would probably require six cords of
stable manure. worth forty dollars cost
of ploughing, sowing seed, etc, ten dol
lars cutting and packing iii the silo
thirty dollars which makes the whole
cost eighty dollars an acre or two dollars
a. II
cents a day for each COW. To produce a
ton of good hay with labor and manure
at the prices charged in making the esti-
mates above, would cost about thirteen
dollars At this price it would cost about
| II ID cents day for each COW As there
may be some doubts about producing
4 forty tons per acre Of corn fodder in New
England it would be best to estimate the
cost of the ensilage at three dollars per
ton which would undoubtedly cover the
cost ii the crop of winter rye, which can
be grown on the same land, is included,
this would make the cost nine cents a
day for keeping COW on ensilage, or
three and one-half cents less than hay.
1t is also claimed by Gotlart that sixty
two pounds Of ensilage day is sufficient
to keep n COW in good condition without
grain if So, then there is n saving of four
cents more, as the twenty pounds of hay
would not be sufficient to keep COW
well, without at least four cents worth Of
grain.
The building of the silos are attended
with considerable expense, and unless
built on the right principles will never
give perfect satisfaction As it is i'm
portant to have no sharp angles where
the ensilage will not pack in close enough
to exclude the air, round form for the
perpendicular walls would be much better
than a square or oblong. The great Sc
cret in keeping green fodder sweet, seems
to be to press ii together so compact that
there shall be no air spaces 1t Is the
presence of the air that causes fermenta-
ton. To accomplish this it is necessary
to cut the stalks very fine, not more than
one third of an inch IN length it Is also
necessary, when it is being put in the silo,
to have several men to tramp ii down.
When the work Of filling the silo is COM
menced, it should be prosecuted as rapid
ly as possible, so that ii can be well
pressed together, before fermentation
takes place. The green fodder should
not be permitted to wilt in the sun, as
the evaporation of the water leaves air !
spaces, and thus introduces into the siio |
ap element that it is important TO avoid
NJ. CoffAxt in his ilrst experiments mix |
ed dry straw with the corn fodder, but it
was found that it injured the keeping
qualities very much, and IVES abandoned |
except few inches on the top of the silo |
under the plank covering.
The first individual that introduced the |
system of ensilage into the United States
was Mr.. Francis Morris, of Oakland
Manor, Howard county, Maryland. He
commenced in 1876 he says, 'In very
long experience in raising stock, l have
found corn fodder preserved on the ensil-
age principle, the best food for mich
cows that / have ever used"
That green corn fodder can be kept
several months in state to be readily
eaten by cattle, and also that they keep
in good condition on it, seems to be
thoroughly demonstrated by NJ. Goffart,
Mr.. Morris and Dr. Bailey there also
seems to be good reason to believe that
by following crop of corn with n crop
of winter rye, at least forty tons of green
fodder can be obtained from one acre of
land in year. Ii G2 pounds of ensilagc
a day is sufficient food for 4 COW, then IN
acre will keep three COWS an entire year,
with enough left to keep another more
than six months. Incredible as this may
seem, it is the lowest figures of all who
have had experience i'll raising and feed
ing ensilage possibly they may have
over estimated the quantity that can be
grown on an acre, but NJ Goifart gives
us to understand that he weighed the
product and it averaged 40 tons of corn
fodder to the acre with ordinary culture.
Ii he could get that amount could we
not safely predict that we could by SOW
ing rye and getting two crops, do as well?
But suppose only two cows could be kept
on an acre, it would be great advance
on the old system, and is well worthy the
careful consideration Of those who are in
terestcd in the production Of milk aud
butter
The seed com that is usually selected
to plant for ensilaga is that which pro
duces the largest amount of fodder
whether this is best will be decided by !
future experiments. When lstock is kept |
entirely on green fodder there will no |
longer be any use for large barns, and no |
longer any danger Of losing the winter
store of dry hay, by fire from the pipe of !
passing tramp. When new buildings |
are to be built, it will he as cheap to build |
silos as to build the additional room nee
essary to store dry hay. Barns for the
stock Will be built in Il different and |
cheaper manner than they now are. A
silo once built will cost but tri,ie to |
keep ii in repair except the roof.