Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1881-06-09
Ensilage.

Ensilage.
The following article, writton by Rey.
W. H. Strickland, one of the editors of
the Baptist Courier, will interest our
readers in their investigation of the impor-
tant subject Of which il treats:
Tho love of the beautiful often beoueatbs
great aud lasting blessings of practioal
kind upon the people. He who cultivates
the ornate is public benefaotor and that
to the whole race. The eminently praoti-
oal mind is disposed to depreoiate tho con
serVatory, tho art.galory, the expensive fish
ponds, 90, and say, "Ah, what aums Of
money are wasted on these superfuities and
toilies How much bread it would buy?
or how many bare feet it would shoc7 or
how many missionaries it would eouip2"
The poor and hard pressed are tempted to
envy these expenditures aud say, "If I
had that money could put it to much
better use."
Now We think this is all wrong. God
has given Us tastes and Ho Intends for us
to cultivate them; He has given to some
people wealth, and is He disbleused if thew
bestow some Of it on horticultural gardens.
or galleries Of paintings, or groves and
meadows aud ponds? Think of this: How
would you like to live 10 community
where no one had any taste for roses or
geraniums or fuchsias, or pictures or car
riagcs, or fine houses7 TO tho cultured
tasto, it would be desert waste, no matter
how much corn and cotton and bank stocks,
and mules, and oxen and money abounded
and you would move awoy
But what has this to do with Easilagea
1t has this, the love and cultivation of the
ornamental has brought US greut train of
blessings, aud Ensilage comes in this train.
1t Was tho greenhouse, with its oranges and
bananas and tomatoes riponing and luscious
oil the year round, that suggested to some
one who was studying the welfare of the
masses, the idea of canning these fruits and
vegetables green, and thus preserving them
fresh the whole year; and now we have in
MD winter green corn, peas, asparagus,
tomatoes. peaches, pears and what-not, at
prices within the reach of all. What
blessing! An indispensable to our tables,
and yet some rich Nabobs epicurean tastes,
and expensive horticultural garden, wos at
the bottom of it. just 30, somebody's
fine fish pond, with speckled trout and bass
aud luscious rock, caught out all winter,
and exciting the rich mau's palate, has
given US the canned mackerel and salmon.
etc., which are long step toward the fish.
pond.
Some thirty years ego, Frenchmap,
Augusta Goffart, of Sologne, seeing the
success in coming green peas, ETC., con.
ceived the idea of keeping green through
tho wiuter stalks Of corn, grass and clover
for his cattle. Now, We oil know that all
tho best parts of grass and green corn are
lost by drying. A fortnight ago we had a
small Glover lot moved, and the clover
thrown up into cocks to cure. The air
all around was pervaded with the odor-
that fragrance was but the finer aud more
valuable elements 10 the clover escaping
by drying. Farmers all know the peou.
liar fragrance Of fodder field, when the
blades are drying and being prepared for
the barn.
Our Frcuchman succeeded in preparing
huge cans, "silos," which means pits, and
into this he deposited his grass and green
corn stalks, filing up the pit, and then
covering aud weigbtiug down to keep it
air tight. In the winter he opened this
pit, found the grass and corn we'll canned,
and as sweet and fresh as when put away
His oattlo and horses ate it with great de-.
light, the flow of milk was increased and
the ensilage which cured would have kept
one COW, was sufficient to Keep tep. For
his success, the Agricultural Society Of
France decorated him with the Legion of
Honor in 1876; and didn't he as richly
deserve to be honored as Field or Morse or
EadsY He who oauses two blades of grass
to grow where one grew before, is a bene-
factor, 80 says tho proverb; but what of
him who provides way, in tho reach of all,
whereby TEN COWS or horses are kept on
what formerly kept ONE? The great de-
mand Of this ago is cheap bread and meat,
and milk cnsiIage will solve the problem.
Why not our people at onoe adopt this
thing, and be prepared for wotoring thoir
stock ohoaply next winter? Let them
prepare their sio, or pit, line with cement
TO make it air tight, SOW their lots with poas
and corn for forage, and when the faTl comes,
instead of outing and trying to cure the
vines and stalks, cut them, haul up, chop
into sholt peioes and fill the pit and cover
with plank top, and weight down with
stones or earth, and they will find one aore