Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-05-17


green. Mr.. Hurd admitted that 1t was
different kind, and might be Of greater feed
ing value, though he thought this would not
account for all the difference. Now all
farmers who have tried corn.fodder sown
broadcast, or even in drills on poorish land,
know IL is very much less valuable to feed
to COWS than fodder grown in hills or drills
on rich land. Here were two important
points brought out by two simple questions
put by the shrewd scientific man to the
practical dairyman. There was no covert
sneer at the "ignorant farmer" there was
perfectly courteous recognition Of the truth
fulness Of Mr.. Hurd's statements, and the
trustworthiness Of his experiment. But the
chemist just drew his attention to two es-
sential matters that were overlooked, and
yet had the power to explain why Mr. Hurd's
ensilage was 80 much better than his corn
fodder, without assuming that putting it in
the silo had made all the difference. Neither
Mr.. Hurd nor Professor johnson alluded TO
another point, which is, that cows hardly
ever eat up green corn-fodder 80 clean as
they do ensilage, and that the parts they
leave are the heaviest parts, the butts of the
stalks. In ensilage these are cut fine and
softened, and thus contribute to the greater
value of that kind of feed by securing that
it shall all be eaten clean.
Professor johnson then expressed his
opinion that ensilage has no more nutritive
value than green corn fodder, "and when
say 'nutritive value mean there is no
more food in the ensilage when it comes out
than there was in the corn when it went in" /"
But" he continued, ait comes out very
palatable, and that makes great deal of diff
ference. think could select couple of
ladies who would take the same meat and
the same flour, and the same butter and the
same apples and go to work and make mince
pies, and the pies made by one of them
would be very nice, and the others would
not be fit to eat. The same nutriment would
be in both, but the feeding effect would be
different. You might have all my share Of
one of them. Aud in respect to ensilage
that is one of its advantages, that it gives
us very palatable food; it has flavor
about it which is agreeable to cattle, they
eat it with more relish, and that is a very
important thing. Mr.. Hurd has told US he
believes it to be more digestible, and he has
given us some facts which justify him in
this conclusion. do not gainsay his facts
they may be correct" The professor ther
goes on to speak of the experiments made il
Germany to test the matter of digestibility
in which the fodder was first analysed, ant
then the manure, to settle how much wa,
digested and assimilated in the animal
body. And now please note what this grea
chemist says about these analyses. "Nov
chemical analysis applied in this way is
from scientific point of view, very crude
rough thing, but it is the best thing we hav
got, it is the only thing we have got whicl
will give anything like exact results, an,
therefore we have to use it; but have ye
to learn that there is any demonstration tina
such material as corn fodder is improved il
digestibility by any process of souring, o
siloing, or cooking, or anything else. hol
it as yet improved, that there is any increas
Of digestibility. But whatever will max
an animal eat with relish will natural
tend to increase the digestive power of tn
animal" Here are great and importar
points clearly brought out in the plain, acct
rate and simple way which marks ma
who is master of his trade. Professor Johi
son does not vaunt the powers of chemici
analysis. He speaks Of its defects as frank
and honestly to an assemblage of farmers {
he would privately to a brother chemis
He will not undertake, on the strength (
these German scientific experiments, even
dispute the opinion of careful farmer tn;
ensilage is more digestible than green fo
der. He only says that experiments car
fully undertaken to settle that matter do NJ
i show that the digestibility of feed of ar
kind is increased in any of the ways me
toned. Now this is worth money to farmer
1t is something to go upon. There is he
! no assertion that chemists know all abo
these things, but only that they are studyir
them, and have reached such and such I
= = suits. There is no more accomplished ag
cultural chemist in the world than Profess
johnson. We want our readers to mark u
" difference between such a man and L
Nichols. There are ways in which ev,
plain men, with little Of what is call
learning, can decide, and decide correct
between those who offer them instruction
! such opposite character.