The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-06-23
rnsilage.
From the Keene Sentinel. !

The most important discoveries and
inventions in the useful arts, which
have rapidly advanced civilization, have
oftener owed their origin to accident or
the experience of practical men than to
the studies of the scientific. The latter
class is but a fragment, and its expert.
ments lie within the narrower circle
and the discovered principles of its
special pursuits, while it lacks the
boldness of conception and of trial that
Is native to the mind that is IMMERSED in
IaUU vi rriu THEORIES " rne ieaTnc un9 ~
new discovery flashes upon the public
and establishes itself by The inconverti-
BILE logic of stubborn facts. Science
then must seek the hidden principle
and readjust its rules to embrace the
new acquisition.
Ensilage, if its utility is proven, be-
come SO important an aid to agricul-
ture that it would be difficult to over
estimate its value. Here, too, the sci
entific is somewhat arrayed against the
practical and experimenting body. The
latter, however, is marching on, an
army with banners, without leaders,
but, by overwhelming force and thou.
sands of tests, clearly establishing in the
light of day the invaluable usefulness of
this new departure. Permit me to add
one more stone to the immense cairn
OF facts and to give few results of nv
experience.
Last season silo was constructed in
one corner of my barn. 1t was
IL 1-2x14 feet, (nine feet below the
Il Dor and nine above) built at an ex-
pense OF S84.14. One and three-uuar-
ters acres were planted with common
sweet corn, and the one-third acre with
barley ensilage corn. Some of the lat
ter grew fourteen and half feet high
and yield at the rate of thirty-six tons
to the acre. Commenced cutting
August 10th; put into the silo the corn
from one and half acres, or thirty-four
tons; cut 1t three-eights of an inch at
cost for filling of ninety cents ton.
A two-horse power should cut twenty
five tons a day. With tho contents of
the silo fourteen head of cattle were fed
from Nov. 9Th to Feb. pod, 1871; and
they all perferred it to other feed. A
COW, In process of fattening, gained
forty pounds In twenty days while fed
daily with forty pounds of ensilage and
four quarts of meal. A heifer, two
years old, with forty pounds of ensilage,
a small feed of hay and quart each of
cotton seed meal and shorts, Welded
six and three-quarters pounds of butter
per week, very yellow, firm and SUPER
! Tor in quality. The same heller, on
sixty-fiye pounds OF ensilage alone, gave
more milk but less butter, not quite SO
firm but excellent quality. l should
have stated that, after taking off the
corn fodder, the ground was sowed for
4 spring crop of rye, and will produce
another crop of rye ard will produce
another crop of corn for ensilage this
summer.
My experience convinces me that ell
sllage for growing stock and cattle gen
orally is decidedly the best and cheapest
feed. OF course 1t is desirable 10 use a
small portion of other feed in connec-
ton with it. While not basing any
conclusive theory ON a single expert
ment, II is obvious that the corroborat.
ing testimony of thousand experie noes
is entitled TO the highest weight.
Therefore il is well to accumulate the
evidence of careful aud authentic
tests. Elk. SEABURY.
Walpole, N. II.