Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-01-14
AGaL3JLTURAL.
BATTER PREPARED SPECIALLY FOE
THE RECORD UNION"
the silo for the River-Bottom Dairy
Farms-Improvement in Cleaning
Wheat-Reason and Labor-Etc.

The introduction Of alfalfa as forage
plant on the river-b bottom lands in this State
was great benefit to those owning lands
along the banks of the large rivers. Before
alfalfa was introduced in these sections the
native grasses were pretty well killed out,
and weeds had come in their places, so that
the lands were not Of much value for the
dairy. Wheat culture on these lands had
previously failed from the fact that the straw
grew too rank and fell down and rusesd or
the grain smutted Now that the bottoms of
the rivers hsve been so filed up that flooding
of the lands in high-water kills the alfalfa, or
sipage water has ths same effect in the spring.
The value OF these lands is again at disad-
vantage. II alfalfa could be depended on, or
If the water did not kill it ont, the river lands
would be The most valuable in the State. Or
even il the winter foods were sure to recede
in the spring, say in March or before, then
these lands wculd be the most valuable, be-
cause they could then be sown annually with
barley and alfalfa, and three crops year be
secured, But as in most of seasons the water
does not rscede till in April or May, and
sometimes not till June or July, alfalfa can
not be depended on, even by annual seeding.
Under such circumstances some other crop
must be substituted for alfalfa to feed cows
with. Corn seems to be about the only crop,
sown for the fodder. But it is so diff
fculs TO cure the large cornstalks
that this crop does net promise to be Of much
value without some better mode than the old
one, Of drying in shock and packing IN larger
shocks or stack for feeding in the winter, can
be aysiied Of Just as the river dairy farm
ers are ia this dilemma about what to do with
their lands, the subject of the silo as place
to preserve the corn fodder Is an interesting
eae to them AS shown in former article.
corn can be preserved IN the silo IN just as
good and even better condition to feed than
It is WHEN cut ard fed green. Good river
lands viii produce from 40 to go tons of corn
fodder to the acre Ia the season, and
this fodder can be cut up and put
into the silo at a cost not to ex
ceed but very little the cost of cutting
and curing Il ia the shock. When preserved
in the silo cows can be fed from 1t at any
time IN the year cheaply, so lar as hand
ling the food i. concerned, as they can be fe.l
hay and bran or any other kiud Of food. The
silo cannot be made in the ground on the river
lands, because they are subject to overflow,
but silos can be built on mounds and above
the surface, and thus be out of danger from
foods. Tue general introduction of silos on
the river lands and the cultivation Of corn
fodder for COWS will, in our opinion, add
as much to the value of those lands as did
alfalfa when it vas introduced. large
crops Of corn can be raised, planted
in June OF even late as July,
and thsy can be depended on every year, and
q supply Of food can be kept up From
forty TO fifty tons to the acre will also make
the crop q very profitable one 10 raise for
dairy cows. j COW will consume about sixty
pounds of the ensilags per day, or q, 900
pounds in year OF 365 days. Thus at this
rate OF production of feed, an acre or land
will support three COWS whole year, and the
fourth COW over seven months of the year
or, in round numbers, two acres will produce
food enough for seven cows the whole year,
and ten acres will feed thrty.ive COWS a year.
This is much better than could be done
with alfalfa, even if alfalfa could be made a
reliable crop. On account of the danger
from foods. mounds will have to
be made for places of safety for
cattle in the winter, and these mounds will be
the places for barns and silos, that the feeding
places and the food may be together. 1t will
be seen that when the plan OF preparing and
preserving the food for stock in silos is
al0pIeO, laFS6 DarnS IOF STORING nay may Oe
dispensed with, and only stables for the stock
and silos or bins for their food will be ueees-
sary. The silos eau be built under the same
roof that covers the stables, or under a seps-
rate roof, and thus considerable expense
now necessary for hay barns may be dis
spensed with. The preservation of food for
stock in silos is no longer an experiment 1t
has been practiced in France and Germany for
wears, and last year there were fifty
farmers within the United States that resorted
Ia this plan and not one of them,failed. All
we're well pleased with the plan, and there
wi!l be large number of silos built this sea-
son, and in few years their use will become
general. We know of no section of our
STATE where the introduction of sios promises
so bsnefcial results to the farmers on the
river lands on those rivers that are subjsct to
annual overflow so late in the season as to
prevent the success of crops other ttan
corn or other summer crops that may be
planted after the waters have subsidized.
Improvement in Cleaning Wheat
About three years ago we called attention
to the carelessness of farmers and professional