Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-04-29
AGRICULTURAL.


lar sides, used to store III their green
state forage crops, such as corn, sorgho,
rye, oats, millet, Hungarian grass, clover,
pea and bean vines. and all the grasses.
This structure is the Siio, which may
he above ground, on partly or entirely be
low the surface of the ground. The fod-
der preserved in Silos is Ensilage.
|! Is equally well adapted to the me-
rhanIc with one COW and one-fourth oil an
acre as to the dairyman or stock raiser
with hundreds Of cattle.
4 Great advance has been made within
Il few years in agricultural knowledge;
and among the most valuable facts learn
"a, has been this. that grass contains
| greater amount of nutrition when III bios
som than ut any time before or after
wards.
| The seed formed III the head of II stalk
of timothy or other grass while very
| rich and nutritious i'll itsclf-does not by
any means compensate for the loss which
has; been sustained by the stalk and leaves
| while the seed is forming and ripening
What is true of the common grasses,
viz. Timothy, fcd-tor, orchard grass,
and clover, is equally truc Of corn, which
is hut Il gigantic grass.
| If, then, a stalk of corn contains Il tthc
| time ii blossoms more nutrltIve value than
at any subsequent time, how foolish and
| wastrful to let it stand for the ear to form
at the expense of the stalk, while at the
same time great loss is gong on from the
leaves and the stalk, as Is the ease with
other and snalleS grasses.
Why not take and preserve the plant
when its nntritive value Is the greatest?
Heretofore no means nave been known to
preserve grain except by ripening and
driving, nor to cure forage-crops except
by dying, since Ensilage has been
proved practical, We ,.iaj nos harvest all
our crops when they contain the greatest
available amount Of assimilable nutritlve
clements, and preserve them unimpaired
indefinitely. IN tins view Of the object
of rip,Hitg grain, the conclusion is II
r,.sistiblc that the Dutritive acme i'll corn
and other gram is to be found at or be-
fore the blossoming period, as it is in the
grasses.
Green Grass and other forage-crops
contain over ~ per cent Of gater, u, the
process of curing by drying, about 10 per
cent is evaporated. Now, this 20 per
cent of water carries with it large
amount of valuable nutrition. That
| !,
difference petwren DUNG butter and win
ter butter. Ii it does not lose by drying
the first time, how does it happen that it
loses so much by drying the second time,
after being wet The retting does not
iujarn the forage, else cut feed would be
injured by being ep..nk!ea aud steaming
| fodder wonld he utter ruin. 1t Is the
drginq. after the wetting, that robs the
I a 1. al.
dried out Of the forage leaves it in the
shape Of hay-tca and the first drawing
is the strongest.
When Ensilaging my coln-fodder, III
the fall of 1879, many farmers and ethers
came to see the process of filling the Sllo
with the green corn-fodder nearly all de-
clared that it would spoil, mould, heat,
and ret Several said, Il guess you will
have n fine lot of manure before winter. ~
made up my mind L would convince
them that the green coru-fedder would
keep instead oi rotting therefore | SAID,
You think it will heat and spoil, do
Won 2" "Yes, I am afraid it will, said
they each and ALL "Now, | tell you it
won't do any such thing Why, won't
it what makes You think SOP" they ask
ed. Said |, why doesn't pile of horse
manure heat when it is left in the stable
all winter under the feet OF the horses,
until 1t gets three or four feet deep :?
Why doesn't sheep-manure heat when 1t
is left all winter III the sheep-folds, and
becomes foot and half to two feet
deep" because it is tOd doUn SO
solid the air cant get into it. Just SO !
that is the reason this corn-fodder won't
heat and spoil IL is 'trcd down 70 solid
that the air cannot get into it, l reloin-
ed. This WAS rather a staggerer. SIS
there anything which is quicker to heat
when it has a chance than horse or sheep
mauure?" | asked. "No-o-o," they re-
luctaniv admitted Now, see here,
said !, ''havcnt You all noticed in the
spring, when you We're getting out your
| hog manure, that Won often came across,
i'll the bottom OF the yards, buried under
the manure, potato-vines and weeds
which had been thrown into the hogs tho
fall before, thatswere Just as green and
fresh MS when they were first pulled out
of the ground - They all replied, "fes,
| we have.
We'll, " said |, my Ensilagc will keep
lust the same way. | trample it down
solid as it is put in the Silos. and put
about foot in depth o: cobble-stones or
boulders upon it, which will press it as
soild rs cider press No AR can 'hen
get III. ihe alr ana gases alreauy Ill are
continually being forced out by the
weight therefore II cahi'o. neal any
more than the morse anu sieeP manure;
can when 1t is trodden down compaeuy.
| They were sllenced.
My explanation why 1t Keeps, Is TINS
When 1t Is packed closely and trodden
down ever So vigorously, SILL there Is
some AR lett IN the little spaces between
the pieces ci the stalks : ana me urea
leaves, II there were any. are iuli oi air
which has taken the place oil inc sap
which has evarorated. 1hc oxygen IN
this amount ol nlr-be 1t greater or small
cr-lminedmiriy starts II fermentation.
Fermentation, mould, decay, rot ana hre
are all Identical. Inc ohly dluerehce Is
III the degree oil speed Win WINCH 'ie
pend upon me presence oi oA!S,h, "iiu
| g .,,,l.