The daily gazette., 1881-09-09

From the Baltimore Sun.
The Ensilage Plan for Preserving
Food for Cattle.
1t has long been very much desired
by diarymen and cattle raisers that
some mora succulent substance could
be discovered that could be fed to
stock during our winters. Roots of
various kind have been tried as sub
stitute or as a help to dry fodder, and
butter has been kept from failing in
quantity and maintained in color by
the use of oilcake and cottonised meal.
But all these helps were unsatisfac-
tory, when M. Goffart, of France, after
twenty years. experimenting, publish
ed the results of putting down for
winter feed green corn fodder in air
tight pits, or silos, as expressed in
French provincial language. This
corn fodder, cut into inch lengths by o
fodder-cutter, worked by hand or
horse power, was emptied into the pit
as it came green from the field, and
trampsd down by the feet of men when
the pit was small, and by horses when
1t was large. Heavy pressure was
used when the pit was full, and 1t was
then closed tightly until winter set
10. M. Goffart's book attracted a
good deal of attention, and the process
of preserving green fodder, which took
the name Of "ens'iage," gradually ex-
tended over France and Belgium. It
is now extensively used by both those
countries by the most advanced and
practical farmers, who claim that it
saves per head of stock more than one
half the former cost of keeping. More
recently the process has been tried In
some of the Eastern and Western
States, in New Jersey, Maryland, Vir-
ginia and Tennessee, with equally
good results. 1t is now reported that
the great Atlanta Fair will introduce
the subject to Southern visitors in q
practical manner by exhibiting what
is thought 10 be the best silos, or pits,
and the processes by which the cut
green fodder is preserved. The width
and depth of these silos vary according
to circumstances. A pit of twenty
feet square is preferred by some,
others favor shallower pit oil greater
length. A pit twenty feet long, eight
or ten feet wide, aud of similar depth,
will answer the purposes of many far
mers.
The walls must be SO constructed as
to restrain great pressure, and in the
West, some of these pits are of stone,
or brick, or concrete; but such expen-
sive pits are not at all necessary. The
two things primarily important in pre-
serving iedder In green state for
winter use are that rain and air shall
be excluded after the pits are filled.
Rain, during the process of filling, or
any change of weather need not inter-
rupt the work. How to keep out rain
and wet when the ensilage is stored
each user of silo must trust to his
own Judgment. some silos are
rooted, others simply turn the water
aside by cutting ditch round the pit
and covering or matching the top of
it. Expelling and excluding the air
10 more difficult. It must be done
PERFECTLY, partly by tramping down
the cut fodder as 1t is emptied into the
pit, finally by putting on heavy pres
sure after the pit is filled. The ensi-
lage (cut green fodder must be as
compact as care and patience can
make it. After it is in place a cover
ing of boards is put on of the size OF
the interior of the pit, and is weighted
heavily-how heavily has not yet been
determined, but some put on Thousand
pounds of stone or Of sand In bags TO
the square yard. The simplest and best
plan Is TO use screw or screws, as in
pressing cotton or hay, and apply the
pressure equally, continuing to increase
the pressure from time to time as the
silo subsidies, for 1t shrinks, as fermenta-
ton sets In, often as Euch as three OF
four feet before 1t permanently settles.
Once filed the silo Is left untouched un-
til cold weather-January or February.
By this time the ensilage is found to
have undergone partial process of fer
mentation and to have become com.
pacted into o succulent semi-acid mass,
with slightly alcoholic favor.
When the silos were opened for use
q few of the boards are removed, a
quantity OF ensilage sufficient for sew
eral days supply is cut with an axe OF
o hay-knife, and when 1t is taken out
the pit is covered closely as before. 1t
often happens, even with the best
silos, some three to five inches of the
ensilage on top is found to be spoiled.
Below that it Is perfect. When ensi-
| laQe Is fed to cattle they eat it spar
ingly at first, but busted with sprink.
ling of cornmeal they soon get to like
it and to prefer ii to all other kinds OF
food. 1t increases the fow of milk,
and the quantity, quality and color Of
butter, neither of which, 50 far as il
known, does it affect in any way in'
jnriously. The cost Of construct nc
pits need not be heavy. In some places
pits have been dug, boarded at thu
sides with one and half inch planl
and at the bottom with slabs, thu
whole cost being but from sixteen II
twenty dollars, and they have dom
well. The passing through the cuttinI
box of several acres of corn fodder