Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1881-01-20
AGRICULTURAL.
Ensiiage.

tHey SINAI. DC dS h1"'', iiAe ~" -
cut fodder Of the sumner as is posi-
Die to have them, is attracting q great
deal Of attention, especially near large
eities, where the demand for milk IS
,auch greater in winter than it is in
sumner.
The experiments ms'e for many
years BY NJ. Augnste Gohart, dis
tinRuished member Of the Central Ag-
-!cultural Society Of France, in pre-
serving green crops for winter use.
was at last crowned with complete
success. Since then several gentle
,osn, farmers in this country, have
tried the same plan and have succeed
ed 50 we'll that it is no longer regard
ed AZ an e1pel iment, TO take green
corn stalks, cut them in half inch
lengths, pack in pit or "s'lo, ex-
clude the air from it, where it will re-
main in a preserved green state for d"
indefnite length Of time, This 'enrl-
,age" il greedily eaten by cattle, hor.
ses, sheep and swine in the wlnt'r.
when green succnlent food is so Gag
srly sought after by all farm animals,
The great advantage that this pre-
serving process has over the ordinary
mode Of curing corn fodder will lead
many videaw.ke farmers and DAIRY
men 10 adopt the the practice as soon
a. they are satisfied OF Is Practicable
itv, and economical success
The la,ge outlay required 70 build
eobstantia b,r>k or stone walls tor
the pits, il Nhich to preserve the 'od
der, will deter many from lncu'rInc
srch cxrense. Whereas II they knrw
% cheap mode by which they coul"
commence the system with assurance
of snccea,, they would at once adol t
:he plan and reap the benefit OF n s
economical wav Of storing fodder Tie
6rst si,o constructed and filled in Njr-
cinia-as far as the public are IN,
formed by the press-was made by.
\ F. Roberts Of Fairfax county,
which was patterned after one b,h't
Ay gentlemen nsa, Bal!,tnore, winch
had been in u-e for two years with
perfect success. \ PIT WAS dug IN a
nil side 80 Ms to have enc end that
could be opened to back cart INTO,
when the fodder is to be taken ont
This rit was six feet deer, eight
feet Wide at the bottom, and ore hun-
.,red and ten feet long Common
rough boards eight feet long We're pm
or The bottom; tie sides were boarded
up eight feet high with slope ont
ward oftwo feet, making the top ten
feet VICE Into this pit was put the
:rccn corn fodder that grew upon FIX
acres, estimated TO be about eighty
tons. The corn stalks were cat With
I'm ordinary sixteen inch strs" cntt'r
driven by a portable steam engine
When tie pit was partially filled, a
iorsa was put in to tramp II down AS
eolil rs possible After the fodder
was all in, straw WAS rut On about al
foot thick, then earth thrown upon It
about two feet deep; a board root was
rnt over TO keep the water out. The.
filing occupied from three to foHr
daYs. about the Goth Of August,
Tie pit was opened by digging the
earth from one end, on the Sth of De
cen.her. About one inch of the top
next the straw WAS monlay and par
italy decaycd, the remainder perfect
~ preserved, having undergone fer
mentntion giving the fodder a slight
IL alcoholic smell and rist', the color
pale green. All the juices that The
fodder contained when put in WAS re
tanned, SO that there was no settling
after the job was finished. The
eighty tons filled the pit only about
bali full. When first fed.to COW,
th"re We're some that cat very SPAR
,nsly, but alter II few days they al
devour it with great greedlness, pre-
fcrring it to the best clover hay or
any short feed During the severe
cold spell OF the past week, the entire
herd Of fifty cows kept up the full
flow Of milk without the slrinkale
that usually attends coln slap. TIE
quality o: milk does not appear to he
affected injnriousIy in the lea,t, when
fed on this eusilnge.
Mr.. Roberts pronouncee this trial
Of preserving green fodder decided