The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-02-26
Experlence WITH Ensilage.

oncnlro ,lirccIIy i'm front Of my stables. Ii Is
~ fee, long, II feet wide, aud ID feet deep. in
side measure One end. one side, ana hail me
Other. are in the ground from TO III feet utcp,
the other end and half side are III The barn,
and in no way projected. FOR louder, WIN
which to ill this, we planted, June 70 H. III
drills 80 feet apart, aud from To 4 inches
apar, IN drills, common dent corp, about
five acres. and sowed four acres OF golden mi.
| let, June y, on piece of sward just moved
and plowed. The corn was on new land when
we were clearing of brush and draining, ana
was manured with 400 pounds per acre OF l.:
! +. Goes superphospha!e. II WAS cultivated
twice and hocd once, and cut Sept u To IT,
much of it being IL to Is feet high, having
ears over two inches In diameter. We weighed
some of the best and it went from ~ to 20
tons per acre, while the poorest part would not
make over 10 or - tons. The yield was salts
factory, when the condition Of the soil, the
amount of manure used, and cultivation are
all considered. The millet was sowed AT the
rate of one bushcl per acre, and manfred win
$50 pounds of superphosphate. Owing TO the
very dry season, the millet did not come up
tor three weeks, and made no more than hail
Il crop, being altogether the poorest crop ev-
or raised.
/ In filling the silo we put half the corn at
the bottom then mixed the milet ana the re-.
malnder of the corn. Our cutter "a Cummlns)
cuts seven-eighths of an inch long. when
about half through one of the knives broke,
and the remainder WAS cut, one half seven
eights and the other half one and threequarter
inches We found 1t necessary To have eight
men to work to the best advantage IN hlling
two to cut up the corn in the field, two to haul
10 the sllo two To feed the cutter, one to spread
in the silo and one 10 run the engine and man
age the horse used to tread the cut ensilage In
} the silo When filled we cover with foot OF
loose straw, then with one and one.half men
planHs, and loaded them with stones SIX inch
es deep at one end. and increasing 10 twelve
inches at the other end We loaded it in this
way that we might learn the proper quantity
10 use for the perfect preservation of ensilage
The whole amount of labor for cutting IN the
, field, hauling in, cutting and reading into ST.
F 10. covering and weighing WAS for one hun
drcd tons iorty-onc days of men, and SIX OF
team. making The whole cost OF harvesting
say $15, which, with more experience, may be
very much reduced.
When We began feeding on the Isl of DE.
cembcr our ensilage measured ~ by Il by III
feet, From this we cut each day Il block j
feet square and 6 feet deep, and have now used
10 the depth Of six feet, unc.halE The length o!
, the slo, or sixteen feet. This leaves the part
, remaining in the bottom, also the six foot sur.
face exposed to the air, with no covering, ana
, now, after cIghts weeks exposure, we lhu no
change-no excessive fermentation or souring
> We also have Il small quantity, taken out elgh'
weeks ago which has been examined by every
visitor, stirred up and handled often, remains
much as when taken out only losing It's fresh
l odor and taking that of good lay. Undo9bt-
, eddy large quantity looscncd IN in heap
l.. would Torment unit! ruined, but when lett I'M
disturbed, it will remain long time without
", E,I lao sotp fni
: the end where loaded lightcst, but IN no place
has it gone SO lar as to entirely rum the fodder
!. except in little places along the walls but the
} fodder is much more readily eaten 10y The stock
[ where the greatest weight is placed, and II is
1 really enough better to more than pay the eN-
;, ira cost of loading. Hereafter we shall never
pu, less than one foot of stones ON the pankS
a and shall cndeavor TO make the top as alright
} as possible with rough lumber Then We be
u hcvc it Will all be perfectly preserved.
II sc have now ted cnsilagc, consisting OF
o equal parts of corn ard millct, IN our stock
s for eight weeks beginning with a snail tcec
a once Il day, and gradually increasing to fly
a pounds to each mature animal; which Will
e SIX to eight pounds of good hay constituted
u their entire food except that COWS IN milk hAL
Il an additional feed OF two quarts OF barley ah'
q corn meal day. ! regret that we cannot glv'
I the exact weight of our cattle al the time they
e began feeding ON Cnsilagc, and compare then
G with the present weight, especially for TIT
u benefit OF those who cannot see them IN th'
l. stable and assure themselves of their thrifty
condition and healthy appearance. We "h'
\ see them every day need no weighing to salts
3 fy us that cnsilage Is a perfectly satisfactory
7 food for all cattle, from young calves to thu
. Oldest cows, provided they have enough. 70
f. the entire ration dry COW weighing l,uO'
l. pounds, sixty pounds of ensilagc would be ~
# more than she would cat, and could lev
, Quarts ot bran he added 10 this il would be il!
4 the better.
Nearly everyone who has been to see my en-
a Stage asks: "Will the cattle eat 1t readily?
v TO all such | say: TRY them, they will tel
q you their views Of it," and never have scei
10 a cow eat The best Of hay when il was olIerct
i with cnsllagc; bu. TIA always cnsilagc first am
N then hav. Cattle do like it, and thrive on n
N in spite of all that has been said against ii, it
n calling 1T such names ~ saucr. kraut, sWlI
II and the like. Cattle seem To have II lltil
, common-eensc, and when allowed To use II vii
ri SHOW which is the best food tor them. The
,r ali prefer the millct to the corn, and ! belny
il Is worth all Its extra cost TO the tctd III eel
neclOn with COln-say in equal Quantities {
leach. Hereafter we shall endeavOr To hay
o. suffice milct or clover to make that prop0
" tor We can see no pcrccptible difference !
+ the preservation of that cut short or longer
tr still the cattle have q decided preference Il
Il. the short, and | would advise no longer Ct
L. than one half inch, especially shCuId the corr
re- stalk be large and coarse; while with mile
II or clover the difference would he much les
X and the probability is that were it wcighic
< sufficiently there would be no necessity for Gu
IN ting II at all Ny eGsiage never iIo,Zc
~ though the tAermvmetcr has been as low AZ
II degrees below zero: the fermentation = suii
n cient to keep frost out, especially whrn the 81!
C is onc.half or more under ground.
Is Another question, and an important On
n which everyone wants answered, Is: Does
pay? To this can safely say: Yes 1t is Il
most profitable investment | ever made
l. ..-t 4 ...ttl l..