The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1881-03-26
ENSILAGE.

ing P0Sf gives an interesting SKclCn Vi
a recent visit to several farms near Anne
mia, N. Y, where silos have been con-
structed and the herds of COWS kept there,
whose milk is sold to the Borden con-
densed mild factory, are fed in part at
least, on ensilage. DIR. William H.
Tanner built silo, costing $500, that
holds ego tons of ensilaged corn, which
he deems equal in value to I25 tons of
hay. Except one hasketful of ensilage
spoiled by slight leakage of air at the
doorway of the silo, the contents opened
in perfect order, and are greedily eaten
by the doctors eighty-six COWS, about
ten quarts each at feeding. The milk
produced from it is of excellent quality.
Mr.. James S. Chaffee went into the en-
terprise with no great alacrity when it
was first presented to him, but his visit
to DR.. Bailey's farm and his present ex-
perience have converted him into
stanch believer in the positive merits of
the silo. He intends, eventually, to
build another silo, which he w;llfill halt
full of clover in June, and then cover it
up until he can complete filling it with
Hungarian grass later in the season.
The mixture of these two grasses with
the corn ensilage he thinks will make
perfect feed and he never expects to raise
large regular corn crop again for the
grain product. Mr.. Jacob Pugsley is
also firm believer, from experience, in
ensilage. Mr.. Benton gives these prac-
teal answers to questions often asked by
farmers regarding this matter;
I. When green corn is cut and put
into the silo and pressed down, does it
not heat and decompose?
1t does not for the exclusion of the
air prevents this process from taking
place. In the fruit can exclusion of air
for the preservation of vegetables is ac-
complished by heat in the silo the same
substantial result is produced by pulpy
mass under pressure.
2. What is the appearance of ensllage
when it is taken from the silo and is in
good condition
1t has the color of tea-leaveS when
they have been stepped in water and are
ready to be drawn from the teapot-a
sort of bottle green. The predomina-
ting flavor is certain sournesS, but when
you taste of the stalks the sugary element
is apparent; so that one may say it is
sweet and also that it is sour.
2. Must the silo be built below the
surface of the ground, like cistern, or
can it be built above ground
1t can be built any way if it serves to
exclude the air, but the best position for
convenience in filling and taking out
the ensilage for feeding purposes is where
the barn in which stock is kept is SO sit
uated that the silo can be excavated from
an adjacent bank or side bill.
The New York Tribune has the fol-
lowing 'Mr. F. S. Peer, East Palmyra,
N. Y, converted an old stone building,
IS by 20 feet, into a silo, and filled it
with fodder on which carlsbad form
ed, cutting it in the field with reaper.
He reported, at a recent meeting of the
Western New York Farmers Club that
he had been feeding the enSilage con-
stantly for four weeks to swine, sheep,
calves, colts and COWS, with the most
pleasing results. The third days rations
to COWS nearly doubled the milk they
were giving on corn stalks, and the but
ter is more abundant and of higher
color. Cotswold sheep became SO raven
GUS he was obliged to make partition
between them and the troughs, and,
when the latter was filled, raised covers
for them to eat The rations of ensilage
appear to enable them to eat and digest
more straw than when fed on dried fod
der. He is keeping more stock than he
possibly could on the ordinary products
of the farm thinks he can raise thirty
tons of corn-fodder per acre on land
that would yield only ton and half
of timothy hay; and estimates that two
tons of ensilage are equal in feeding
value to a ton of the best timothy"
The Bucks County LntelhgeHcer says
"Few new things have been introduced
which bid fair to give rise to a greater
amount of study, comment, valuable as
sistance and real advantage to the dairy
farmer than the silo. This is French
invention or discovery, and is just now
receiving a marked degree of attention
among progressive dairymen in this
country. The first American silo of
which we have any knowledge is the one
constructed by DR.. Bailey, of Billerica,
Massachusetts,, which is now being util-
lied for the third year with very salts
factory results. There have been a
number of new ones made this year, and
SO far as report goes are doing all that
was claimed for them by their origina-
tor, and the American pioneer, DIR.
Bailey. There will be many more Silos
constructed next year. One holding
from two to five hundred tons costs from
5000 to $500"
Bar"Well, Father Brown, how did
Won like the sermon Yesterday ?" asked