Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-04-13
latllaster f,,tclliQenrer.
EvEN'a. APRIL -, 1881.
EnSilage.


A Pennsylvania Farmers Conclusions.
Walter Darlington in Country Gentleman.
In the Western states, where land is
worth from eco to $50 per acre, and corn
can be raised proftably at 20 cents per
bushel, think the present plan Of allow
ing the corn to mature, and feeding the
ears to hogs and the stalks and leaves to
cattle, will pay better than ensilaging the
corn when in tassel. But in Eastern
Pennsylvania, where good land brings
500 to $500 per acre, according to distance
from great markets, and where the soil
system is practiced in order to keep one
COW to each acre of arabic land, and where
good butter brings from 40 to 80 cents per
pound in winter, and 25 to 80 cents in
summer, it seems to me that ensilage is
the most economical COW food.
l have the ensilage fever. this
spring; last spring l had an
attack of the root fever, but am cured of
that. planted An acre with sugar beets,
but only about pound of seed came up.
suppose had 1t the rate of ten tons of
beets to the acre. l fed the two tons
raised in five days, giving thirty pounds to
a feed. and decreased the regular ration of
cut cornfodder from two heaped basketful
to one per day, and fed as usual eight
quarts of bran and two quarts of cotton
seed per day. My cows did not increase
any in their flow of milk by the change of
food, and am convinced that can raise
one basketful Of sowed corn cheaper and
on less land than l can sixty pounds of
beets am also convinced that it would
be better to keep the corn in green state
than to dry it.
One hundred tons have been kept green
in silO this winter by Enos Barnard, one
Of my neighbOrs. He is now feeding it to
20 of his 80 milch cows, and the man who
feeds and tends TO the COWS, says they like
ensilage better than any other food, and
are thriving we'll upon it. Mr.. Barnard
informed his butter buyer when he COM
menced the feeding of ensi'age, and re-
quested him to test thoroughly the quality
of the butter, and inform him if the but
ter was not up to the standard ; but he
has received no word, and still gets 43
cents per pound wholesale. When man
like Mr.. CrOzier, who receives SIS apiece
for shepherd pups, and $50 to 500 for
calves and yearlings, and who sends away
whole carloads of high priced cattle, talks
about the expense of a silo, it strikes me
as bordering On the ludicrOus.
IprOpose to build silo this summer 40
feet long, 20 feet wide and IA feet deep
the walls will contain about 100 perches,
and mason will build it for so cents
perch. My hired man will dig the pit
with a little assistance, and | have the
stone and most of the lumber that will be
required. think 800 will build a silo
that will hold 200 tons OF corn fodder,
which expect to raise on acres Of good
corn land. have not charged so cents a
load for the stone, or $50 month for my
hired man and 81 a day for my team but
/ have the team and man, and not work
enough to keep them and myself busy un-
less l grow roots. / would like to know
where there is farmer who would not
lose 81, 600 year if he charged such ex-
ocbitant rates for his labor and the use OF
his team, as some Of the writer's calculate
when trying to run up the cost of silo.
think by bnying from $500 to s4O0
worth Of grain year and adopting the
system of ensilage, can keep 80 COWS and
100 sheep, and raise more wheat and corn
on 20 acres, than now do by keeping 20
cows and farming in the old way. | Will
set apart 7 acres of my best land, and
give it a good coat of manure every year
and one ton Of superphOsphate. About the
first of June will drill my corn at the
rate of l.! bushel per aero, and in Septem-
Der will ensilege the corn. After taking
off the corn, will drill in rye, and by
manuring every year, will increase the
fertility of the ground. My fields con.
tain s acres. l will make them 5 to -
acre fields, aud follow corn by two crops
of wheat, and tho wheat by clover. by
keeping more than double the amount OF
cfnoG 1 will l,aH ,,3onfx nf f,r tho
and will drill phosphate for the wheat
which follows corn in the fall. In this
way will have 80 acres of wheat and Is
acres of corn. The only loss will be in the
timothy hay now raised on eight acres,
and little pasturagc.