Connecticut western news., 1881-04-20
FARM AND GARDEN.
ENsILAGE AGAIN, WITH SOME TESTIMONY
 FROM PRACTICAL. FARMERS.

ENSILAGE AGAIN, WITH SOME TESTIMONY
 FROM PRACTICAL FARMERS.
 Ensilage, as applied to grass ct least, is much older than the experiments of M. Gofart, the Frenchman to whom the agricultural world is indebted for the development, if not the origination of the ensilage of maize. The following is from work published by Grieswald in 1942:
 "A curious mode of preserving grass for forage, instead of making it into hay, has been tried in Germany, in East Prussia; and it is this: Pits are dug in tue earth, ten feet or twelve feet square and as many deep. They are puddled with clay, and lined with wood or brick Into these pits four or five hundred weight of grass, as it is cut, are put in, \. layer at time, sprinkled with salt at the rate of one pound to ono hundred weight, and if the grass is dry, that is free of r:in or dow, two or three quarts of water are sprinkled over the layer. Each layer Is trodden down by five or six men, and rammed firm, especially round the edges, with wooden rammers, the object of which is the exclusion of air. A little straw is then scattered over the layer to mark it's dimensions afterwards. Layer is placed above layer till the pit is filled to tho top, when the topmost layer is well salted, and the pit covered with boards, or Q well-ftted lid, upon which is put covering of earth of one and half feet in thick ness. Such pit will contain five layers of grass, and should be filled in two days. The grass soon ferments, and in about six days subsidies to half it's original bulk. The lid is examined every day, and every crack in the earth filled up to exclude the air, which, if allowed to enter, would promote the putrefactive fermentation in the grass. When the first fermentation has ceased, the lid is taken off, and fresh grass put in, trodden down, and salted as before. The pit will now contain about ten tons of grass, equal to two or three tons of hay. The pits should remain shut for six weeks before being used, and then are used in succession. The grass thus treated has the appearance of having been boiled, and it's sharp acid taste is very agreeable to cattle; and twenty pounds day with chopped straw will keep COW in good condition all winter, and twenty eight pounds will cause q COW to give rich and weIl-tasted milk. ;
 MT. F. T. Loud of Weymouth, Mass. one of the farmers who contributed the result of their experience to Q little book on ensilage just published by MT H. R. Stevens, of "Echo Dale Farm, Dover, Mass, finds that one acre O. corn ensilage will keep two COWS one year, while to keep one COW in the or dinary way requires six acres of mowin@ aud pasturage. The COWS relish th' food aud are in better condition thai when fed on grass. MT. Loud make the following comparative statement o cost:
 "In comparing the cost of feedins ensilage and hay, l find it to be as fol lows:
 COST OF ENs1LAaE PER DAY. 6626 pounds of ensilage cost. .1014 cents. | 316 pounds of cotton-seed
 | meal costs. ............ "A cents.
 15 cts. per day ! COST OF HAY PER DAY.
 25 pounds English hay at $22
 per ton costs. .27l% cents.
 31 pounds ootton-seed meal. Az cents.
 32k cts. per day
 Cost of ensilago. ........l5 cts. per day . Difference. .17I cts per da!
 The price of good English hay ha averaged with us $22 per ton for sever al years in the market, and is now wort from $25 to $29 per ton. By the abov it will be seen that it costs double feed with hay, while the difference ( the product of an acre cultivated to CT silage crop or hay is still more stril ing"
 Among the other farmers whose c, perience is of a similar sort is Mir. JacO : P. Goodale of Peabody, whose stat [ ment MT. Stevens summarizes as fo
 lows:
 6 "It seems Mir. Goodale is feedir
 about twenty head of cattle in all Il l stock. He feeds 900 pounds of ensilaE \ per day. He. feeds grain with his e d silage, aud would give same if he we
 feeding hay perhaps not as much wi t ensilage as with hay. If he fed wi u hay, it would take, as he says, over 8 it pounds per day to take place of ems e age. His ensilage cost him $s2 per t'
 packed ill silo, making cost of 9
 pounds 90 cents-a days feed for l
 stock. If he fed 300 pounds of hay
 &25 per ton is now a low price-the cc h per day would be 1875, making go 1t per day of $2.65 in favor of ensilage. W six months time or during the feedi ct season, the gain would be, in favor 'k ensilage, e518.70; and, if fed on ems in age the year round, would show ve G. handsome gain, which would be $1 ,03 it 40, to say nothing of other advantag le increase of milk, butter, and bett ot condition of stock"
 h. A Presidents Fortune. 1t, The report that President Hayes lg the White House with a considera1