Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-05-18

when led cores pOnulnR rate OF hsSltnllh-
ton of their dry substance. Whenever,
therefore. the production of dry fodder
(hay) can be carried on in a short time
and in satisfactory manner, the largest
amount of dry fodder Of the highest at
tainable feeding value may be secured
| from that plant andno other current mode
of preserving fodder can equal 1t as far as
quantity is concerned. Although admitting
| the fact thai the silo system of keeping
fodder is in high degree liable to cause
waste of much valuable nutritive con-
Stituents. in consequence Of an inherent
serious feature, fermentation, it cannot be
denied that its application for the preser-
walton of green corn fodder has also some
special strong points and redeeming feat
ures in It's favor, namely:
The Indian corn is one of our most re-
liable crops. The corn crop furnishes a
large amount of vegetable matter Qwenty
to twenty-five tons per acre, with from
6 to "a per cent of dry matter, or from
five to six tons of slower. containing Is
per cent of dry matter). 1t presents
peculia" difficulties to cure we'll in the
field; and the corn ensilage is highly
relished by all kinds of stock and without
any loss by refuse matter consumed by
cattle. When we consider in addition to
these exceptional advantages-which the
introduction of the silos into our home
farm management promises TO secure for
us-that the discussion of the feedinglvalne
of corn ensilage cannot otherwise but
direct the attention of the entire farming
community towards a careful investigation
of the whole fodder question. it becomes
most desirable that the financial side of the
ensilage production should receive the
most careful practical investigation on the
part of the farmer.
In every sample of ensilage in Vermont
fermentation had taken place and had
reached the acetic stage, or where the
eHsilage gave the clean sour taste and
flavor one gets from diluted vinegar.
NJ. Goffart gives different results from
this. He says 1.-THE end to be obtained is
to prevent all kinds Of fermentation before
and after ensilage, for the way to avoid
bad fermentation is not to permit any,
Fermentation preserves nothing; when
my maize had contracted alcoholic fer
mentation in my imperfect silos | FASTENED
/ to have it eaten up rather than have ii
pass to the acetic."
To secure this preservation it is neces-
sary not only to exclude the air from the
silo, but also to e1pel what is in the Gu,
fodder and between the pieces
NJ. Goffart applies about three pounds OF
salt to the ton of fodder, but puts less
stress on this than on the perfection oil
making the slo and covering it. and most
of all on weighing the mass. He says
Il opened in April my last elliptic silo.
which contained one hundred thousand
kilogrammes (about one hundred and ten
tons) of maize ensilaged in October, more
than seven months before. 1t was green.
ish brown in color. There was
no appreciable odor; was really insipid in
taste. | detached several hundred kilo.
grammes which was hardly exposed to the
air when it underwent Il vertable change
the brownish color became sensbly green
the beginning of alcoholic fermentation
took place without exceeding the limit.
which that fermentation ought never To
pass"
DR.. Bailey of " Winning Farm" whose
book on enslage was chiefly poor rehast
of GoffarHs work, and an advertisement
of his stock and grain. gives some very
original Chemistry of the Silo," as fol-
lows:
That important chemical changes take
place during the curing of green forage
plants by the system of ensilage cannot bt
doubted. believe there is formation Of
acetic acid to a greater or less extent in
all cases, and that the acetc fermentation
is the first change which takes place
There can be no saccharine fermentation
until after acetic fermentation takes place
| doubt its being saccharine fermentation
at all: it is rather transformation.
understand the changes take place a,
follows: The oxygen of the air in tht
mass acting upon the sugar in tine plan
converts that sugar Tin corn about II
per cent? into acetic acid; the acid act
upon the starch Gin corn about sc pei
cent?, and converts it into grape-sugar, OF
glucose, in much the same manner a
sulphuric acid acts upon the corn in the
manufacture of glucose. The next stag
of fermentation is the conversion of tn
grape-sugar, or glucose, into alcohol
which being very volatile, passes off int
the atmosphere. Then, and not unit
then, does real putrid fermentation o
decay begin. The previous stages ar,
metamorphoses or changes from one form
to another of the elements of nutrition.
If the above is correct, the presence O
acetic acid, or sourness, so far from bein!
an injury, is u positive benefit; for with
out the acid the starch, which is hard t.
digest could not be converted into sugar
which is easy to digest"
In all plant juices containing sugar
whether cane or grape sugar makes n
difference, fermentation changes the suga
to alcohol. This is familiar to everybod
who ever saw wine or cider which ha
become intoxicating by fermentation
After standing long enough under favor
able conditions the acid of the cider O
wine takes different character, and tn
acetic OF vinegar character is there, an
the alcohol is gone, and DIR. Bailey
" sourness" and "acetic acid are no
synonymous terms as he uses them.
Prof. Goessman says:
" The saccharine and amylaceou
(starch) constituents of plants are il
: particular liable to suffer serious trans
formation into compounds of doubtfn
feeding value the heterogeneous compound
present are usually affected by The process
rhe ensilage contains for this reason il
! some instances Il larger percentage o
heterogeneous matter than the green fodde
I which served for its production. The cellu
lar matter undergoes quite frequently
partial disintegration. and becomes there
by in higher degree digestible. Tn
color of the slo product depends on tn
. success of the treatment-in case of gree
fodder il is either green or yellowis
green; It's odor is peculiar, yet not I'm
pleasant. AS an article of fodder it is i
many instances even preferred by cattl
to the original green fodder.
Prof. GeorgeH. Cook of the New Jerse