Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1881-05-19
AGRICULTURAL.
Experience with EnsiIage.

experience i'll growing and preserving
corn fodder green. was induced te
make the experiment from reading q
book, purchased at your office last
spring, on the subject Of Ensilage Of
Maize. written by N. Auguste Gofart
My silo is simply pit dug in the
ground, which it was my intention to
have walled up, but seeing that /
would not be able to get it done in
time, thought would try it without.
The dimensions Of the pit are sixty feet
long, ak feet deep, with sloping sides,
twelve feet wide at the top and ten
feet at the bottom.
For the purpose Of filling this pit I
sowed four and a-balf acres Of corn in
rows, three feet apart, at the rate Of
three pecks per acre; sowed about the
middle Of July, marked it out with a
:orrow pillow, and covered with cul-
t.yator; did not Use any fertilizers; cu' :
,iyated it twice and commenced cut
ting lst of October. 1t WAS then IN
blossom and in the right condition to
make enailage. Cut it with reaper
and bound til bundles with rye straw
hauled to the feed cutter on hay car.
riages; set cutter at the edge OF the pit
40 that it would throw the 70 lder when
cut into the PVT. Run tie cutter with
four. horse engine, cutting in one quar-
ter inch lengths; kept it we'll tramped
down all the time; put a horse on 10
tramp after we got it filled two or three
teet. Put about half ton Of straw on
the bottom and about thu same on top,
and covered it over with foot Of earth
and built fodder house over it all.
We opened it about the middle OF
November; found it spoilt about three
inches on top and around the sides
lest about four or FIVE tons in this way
it is best to have it as much in body
as possible. The less surface we have
the less per cent. Of loss, as come alter
alton will always take place on the
aurface. After taking three inches of
the top found it looking pretty much
the sane as when it was put init Is
slightly acid.
Commenced feeding IL TO cows
they did not eat it at first with much
relish, but after day or two they be-
came very fond Of it, and would eat it
in preference to the best Of hay; none
of them have ever yet left any in Their
troughs. l give them twenty pounds
at feed twice day, and also about
bushsl cut dry fodder and three
quarts corn meal and wheat bran
mixed twice a day on the ensilage.
The cows are thoroughbred and grade
Jerseys, they keep in thrifty condition.
and SO do the calves; had several o.
them to weigh over one hundred
pounds at two weeks old My fresh
COWS make an average Of six pounds OF
butter per week, making it cost me for
feed about twenty cents per pound,
leaving the manure and skim milk to
pay for labor. don't think it affects
the quality Of the butter any. Wi
test it next winter by feeding half no
COWS on dry fodder and half on gree
fodder, giving them the same value
worth to each, keering the milk AT
butter separate and sending to mark
IN separate boxes.
II epsilage could be made witho
undergoing any fermentation, that
if fodder could be preserved witbo
undergoing any fermentation before
after ensilagiDg l think it would ma
better feed. This might be scco1
plisbed by putting up perpend'cu
walls Of masonry, cementing the'o, a
compromising the ensilage with boad
and heavy weights. ! will try bd
ways next fall.
1t cost me to produce my eusll
about four dollars per ton; bad about
ono. quarter Of mile to haul it TO tae
pit, cost about one dollar and twenty
FIVE cents per to1 to get from the field
An! put it in the pit; half Of this cos
could have been saved by sowing the
fodder near the pit. and if l had sowee
nv corn about the LIST Of June, ane
sowsd the largest variety OF corn
could have gotten, ! would have bae
at lssst double az much fodder, Thu
came kind Of ground I grew this fod
der on, right by the side Of it, inad'
r Il Il ~,