Connecticut western news., 1882-06-07
A CHEMIST ON ENSILAGE.
Some Popular Errors on the Sub
 ject.

Some Popular Errors on the Sub
 ject.
 A great many new silos will be filled for the first time this season. The value of ensilage for fodder appears to have been fairly proved, but the Boston Journal Of Chemistry points out that there is considerable misapprehension among farmers as to just where the sav- ing is made. In other words, it says they believe that 100 pounds or one ton of good ensilaged corn fodder con- tains much moro nutriment than the same weight of green stalks, or It's equiv alent in the air-dried condition of the fodder. In all our experiments in the laboratory and observations in practical trials in the barn, the conclusion has been reached that the true value of silos does not consist in any important in- crease of nutriment in fodder, but in the saving of expense in storing and feeding it. If there is no saving in this direction if it costs as much in tune and labor 10 ensilage corn stalks as it does to cut and dry them in the field, and when in the barn to cut and crush them so that animals will eat them readily, then there is no advantage in ensilage.
 It is a surprising fact that many, if not most, farmers believe that some- thing valuable is lost in drying fodder they believe that important constituents or rich plant-food goes off with the water. This is an error. All the moist ure in corn stalks does not go off in field drying, and the air-dried plants which hold 30 or 35 per cent. of the original water in the green state will keep we'll when stored for winter use. In drying grass or corn fodder the water is by far the most volatile constit- uent, and as the solid material, or nu- trient portions is held only in suspen. sion in the watery juices, the water evaporates, leaves behind the heavier and more valuable particles. The dis advantage which exists when ensilaged fodder corn is contrasted with the dry fodder is only apparent, not real. Ami malls will eat, digest, and assimilate and COWS will give as much milk, an6 oxen and horses will do as much work when dried corn fodder is fed to then as when fed with the same ensilaged If the dry corn fodder is cut and crushed and moistened with little warm water animals will eat it up clean with as grea relish as they apparently do ensilage There is no advantage in ensilagins corn or other kinds of fodder unless i be in saving of expense, in time and labor, and in convenience of feeding.
 The conclusions which we hay, reached from careful consideration O this subject are supported by recent ex periments at the New Jersey experimen station, conducted under the supervis ion of Prof. Cook. His results are O great interest to farmers, and corrober ate the views upon ensilage so often ex pressed in the Journal and elsewhere Prof. Cooks experiments extend over period of nearly six months, and wer made with green fodder corn, air-drie' corn and ensilaged corn. The experi ments were conducted in the barn il feeding COWS with the different forms c fodder, and in the laboratory in testin results, and they are in the highest de gree trustworthy. He sums up the re suits as follows:-
 First. When the green corn was drie in stacks in the field the loss was les than it was when the corn was packe in silo.
 Second. When dried corn fodder wa cut and crushed, it was eaten by COW quite as readily and with as little vast as ensilage.
 Third. Ia three cases the yield of mil was not increased when ensilage wa substituted for dried corn.
 Fourth. In the mixed milk for twent days of one herd of COWS, ensilag caused no increase in the yield of tott solid matter in the milk, while in ar other herd it caused gain of only 2 pc cent.
 The opinions of those who have bee using ensilage in their farm barns dul ing the past winter are as whole favol able to the new form of fodder. W have taken considerable pains to inve' tigate the nature of the contents of sile and the effects upon stock of the foo drawn from them, and are prepared say that all questions regarding the safety and high profit are not concll , sively settled. It is probable that u whole matter of ensilaging crops wi undergo complete revolution in fe 5 years. The present expensive silos ms 3 be found not so we'll adapted to the pu r pose as others of cheaper construction } It is not probable that ensilaging wi l fall into disuse, but that better method and cheaper structures will supplal 0 those now iD use.
 A Dissolution.