Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-01
WAITsrIELD, Jan. Il, 1882

MIR. TINkHAM:-Your favor reached
me a few days since, and hasten to an
swer as far as / have got in the green
fodder enterprise. My experiment was
made simply for my own benefit, and
terefore l built the pit as cheaply as posi-
bic and have 1t answer the purpose. The
pit is 12x12 feet, and the depth of Is feet,
posts set IL feet into the ground; the sides
are of matched boards, planned on inside;
bottom cemented. dug the pit rainy and
lowry days during haying and harvest; The
soil was first class hard pan all the way
down, and it cost some sweat to pick up
and throw it out; you can estimate the
sweat cost. The timber, boards, nails and
cement cost S14 33. and it took two days
10 board up and cement the bottom.
The last week of June piece of land of
II acres was moved, yielding about
twelve or fourteen hundreds of cheap hay
this land was broken up and furrowed out,
and manure drilled in and Compton corn
sowed in the drills; this corn, with l-2
acre of the Sanford corn, was cut into the
pit the last of September after the ears
were filled out and the corn in roasting
condition. The fodder was cut 5 8 Ct AN
inch long; machine set over pit so that cut
feed fell plump in; it was we'll trodden
down, the machine lender having ample
time to do the treading, rs the machine
would cut twice rs fast us two teams could
draw the crop 60 rods. -Four inches of
wheat straw was cut in last, eveled down
and tho whole covered with two thick
nesses OF boards, and about ton and Il
half of stones laid on to hold the boards in
place and take up the settle. What fodder
had filled up 1-2 feet deep aud settled
to feet.
began feeding, Nov. 9th, to 8 calves
they liked it so well that in II few days
be gan to feed it to 10 COWS. One half this
pit fed as above, twice a day, bushel to
.wo cows and same amount to four calves
for feed until January l, was as satisiac-
tory to their needs as Il good feed OF hay,
| though they would never eat hay when
any of this picked corn fodder was around
here they could reach it. You may
estimate the difference in value between
20 pounds of this feed and a fork full of
good hay; the feeding results have been
the same SO far as flesh was concerned,
though the ensilage gave about IA more
milk and n decidedly betterarticle of butter
A neighbor of mine, who has "got On his
ear" about it and is making arrangements
to buid a big one. says after examining
the butter product, June butter every
time" The feed comes up pale green,
looks little blanched. has Il fragrant,
vinous odor, and where the Sanford corn
went in, more acid than tho Compton. 1
think sweet corn not az good for pIting
Us common kinds.
1t costs not fur from fifty cents per ton
to take the corn from the field and deliver
in the pit. If n man were to do "a land
office business he might beat those figures
little.
So far as extending 4 herd is concerned,
am not prepared to affirm, having been
q purchaser of hay to carry out almost
every spring for five years. Last winter
kept nine cows, three two years Odds,
tour calves. three horses and one colt
bought one ton Of hay; this winter ten
cows, two two years olds, four yearings
eight calves and four horses. and it looks
now rs though there wouldn't be any hay
needed TO be purchased.
notice that the corn cut in with the
stalks comes up as bright and fresh rs
corn in the crib, though not az dry, bu
more acceptable to animals. All kinds Of
stock are very fond of it, even to poultry
pigs fight over it, There is only ont
trouble with my ensilagc experiment
there is not near enough of it,
VIII some of the knowing ones whc
come out decidedly skeptcal and declare
in the ponderous axiom, " How can yol
get something from nothing?' explain
why the milk product should be NOR,
and better, and the cxcrement at the same
time observedly moreP The hay, whicl
they call something ought to givea greater
excrcmentitious product than the corr
fodder. As ii makes less milk it ought tC
make more waste.
1t seems as though this new departure
in feeding animals would build up OUT
farms so as to leave n little moro margin
for hard working, poorly paid tilers oil
the soil. The fact is perfectly apparent
and seen in divers directions, that farming
ands are slowly wearing out. We arC
not putting back that which is sod away
and the farmer who can afioid to bay
commercial fertilizers to build up Il rul
down farm with is Il nondescript not yet
imported.
If This answers Your little postal, "nu
ced."
G. +. RAMSAY.