Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-09-08


earth. 80 that no air can pass into the
pit through this doorway. The outer
covers are then placed temporarily
upon the necks 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
filed, sealed, and covered like the first.
After the pit has been closed about
thirty-six hours, the necks must be un-
covered and opened. The contents
will be found very warm and thorough
ly wilted, and, upon being now.trodden
down, will occupy less than one-hal
and, if clover, not more than one-fourth
of the pit. The pit should then be
filed again, trodden firmly, and
covered again temporarily as before.
Each pit should now be opened and
refilled as before at intervals of from
twenty-four to thirty hours, the con-
tents at each time being trodden down
as firmly and evenly as possible and
this should be continued until settling
nearly or quite ceases and the pits are
full. Salt should be sprinkled occa-
sionally over the fodder while the pits
are being filled. The pits, being now
full and settling having nearly or quite
ceased, must be Immediately and
thoroughly sealed over the whole top
surface of the fodder, by a well-com-
pacted layer of clean earth, not less
than six inches thick.
This covering of earth should be at
terward examined at least twice, at
intervals of a week or ten days, and
any cracks that appear be closed with
fresh earth.
A covering of straw or hay, not
more than two inches thick, may be
laid over the fodder before the earth
covering is applied; but this is imma-
terial, other than as a matter of neat
ness. In feeding, the fodder should
be cut down, and fed from one end OF
the pit in sectionsof convenient width,
the earth being first removed from each
section.
If open pits are used, layer of hay
or straw may be put over the pits when
filed and sealed, to protect the con-
tents from frost in winter, if necessary.
I have not found any pressure or
weight upon the fodder, other than
the earth covering, required. If addi-
tional weight is desired, a heavier COW
ering of earth will accomplish this,
and make the sealing at tie same time
more perfect.
MIXING FODDER IN THE PITS.
Much advantage will be gained by
mixing clover and grass in which
clover predominates in the same pit,
through fodder-corn, millet, or sorghum
The clover becomes, after the first fer
mentation, . putty-like mass, which
fills the intersticcs in coarser and more
6brous fodder, and thus makes the
whole much more compact and weigh
ty than it would otherwise be, while
it improves the quantity of the food.
Among ell our products in the
Northern States, there are none which
will be more enhanced in value by
this system than red clover. BY it
this is rendered the most profitable
and most easily preserved, without
detriment, of all our grasses. A well,
built up with an eight-inch brick wall
in cement. twelve feet in diameter,
thirty feet deep, with roof, windlass,
and buckets, will preserve perfectly
and deliver for use the whole clover
product of more than twenty acres of
fertile land
l have recently put the fairly heavy
clover from sixteen acres into a space
of twenty-four feet long, thirteen feet
wide and ten feet deep. But the bene-
ft Of this system, when applied
throughout the country in preserving
fodder-corn, sorghum and the large
millets, will be incalculable. These
crops, hitherto the most difficult, un-
certain and expensive to cure and pre-
serve, became the surest, easiest, and
least expensive in these respects, while
they are among the richest and milk
and-butter producing foods known
By this system the whole southern
portion of our country, where the tame
grasses are not grown, is at once fur
nished with o means everywhere ap-
plicable and easily practicable, by
which their cattle may be fed and
fattened in winter and summer, as well
and nearly or quite as cheaply as
where tame grasses abound. Who
shall say how important an agency
corn, sorghum, and clover wells and
pits, which will be practically everlast-
ing and will save two-thirds the labor
and all the waste in keeping and pre-
serving these crops, too safely to re-
quire insurance and in One-twentieth
of the present space, may not yet have
in making this land of liberty, union,
and progress also a land flowing with
milk and honey, for this and future
generations.