New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-24
THE ENSILAGE QUESTION.
A JUDICIAL VIEW BY DR. G. c. CALDWELL.
THE CONDITION AND PROSPECTS OF THE NEW sYs-
TEN OF STORING FODDER.

TO the Edftor OF The Trf6une
SIR II is now some eight or nine years since the
writer # this article first introduced the subject of
ensiIaxe of fodder in simple trenches to The agreu
tural readers of TEE TRIBUNE as "a matter worthy
of their careful consideration. -Four or hve years
later Goffards improved method with deep masonry
pits ana heavily weighted plank followers was
brought prominently before the publicand so Doun-
tifulv praised by some few who had carried it into
practice as to excite deep and widespread interest
in the subject such as other more moderate state
ments naturally fai ed to arouse Therefore this sys-
tenn of storing fodder is new with though old IN
Europe II has really been trial here hardly more
than three years for previous to the winter OF
1S7gSO the feeding of ensilage had been tosted by
only n very few farmers here and there IL Is TOO
soon to look for the sober, second thought aoout
the matter; but aside from that, IL ~ prooaoiy
without precedent that new idea 10 the agricui-
tural community has IL 80 short time been 80
widely tested. and with results so largely FREEDOM
mating in its favor. In my own collection OF REFER
ences tc the subject in the agricultural press during
the last eighteen months find sixty favorable tes-
tlmola from experience, against twenty eltner
condemnatory doubtful ne tees; and IN justice
to enslage it should be observed that of these
twenty writer's only three have themselves tried the
method. The Agricultural Bureau, in response to
series of questions on the ensilage OF fodder gets
from farmers in all parts of the country who have
tried IL eighty more or less hearty Endorsements OF
the method ana gets nothing else. Or. Hoskins, oil
Vermont in whose word we all have confidence,
saws that eighty darymen in that State have used
enslage tor their stock with good results, aud that
the number of its adherents is increasing.
IL is idle to gainsay all this testimony from such
variety of sources, much of 1t accompanied with
enthusiastic praise, whatevoi we may THINK as 10
the theory of the process. On the cOntrary we
should be able to find some sound reasons Tor the
remarkable favor with which the system has been
received if We cannot. 1t must be feared that it is
q deluslon that its prOGtableness is only aB.arcnt
and that its days will soon be numbered. Whether
there are such reasons can best be learned by den
ing the qualities of a superior article OF fodder and
gauging ensilaged fodder by this definition First
then, as TO paatableness, and as to whoesomencss
when used in Il reasonable manner good ensllage is
not exceeded by any other coarse fodder; these
qualities are so well established as to need no dis
cusson. Second. n superior article OF fodder must
be reasonably nutritious aud productive it should
be "a completes fodder with about the right proper
tions of the several nutrients for the best ntiza-
ton of all of them for profit. Judged by tho Coz
man feeding standards the dry substance Of fodder
corn which constitutes the bulk of tho material for
ensilage, does not meet this requirement; like or
binary hay of timothy. redtOp and bluegrass 1t is
much too poor in albuminoids Although these feed
ing standards have OF late been somewhat severely
criticised still there is not vet sufficient ground for
setting them aside altogether, and they ale in the
main in accordance with experience. Judged by
effects also, enslage OF maize aud ordinary hay ARE
about equal II the same weights OF dry substance
are compared. In numerous cases this ensiage az
pears to have taken the pa of hay in the rations
of cows IN milk and of growing aud fatteninp an
imas without dctrimen to production Especially
noticeable is the testimony as TO its favorable ehec
on the yield and quality Of milk and the quality oil
the butter. Ii is not uncomm6ny thought that 1t Is
even equivalent to the best hay OF the fam. but the
opinion lacks a sound foundation on the results of
careful comparative experiments with the two
kinds OF fodder. well as theoretical support.
Third an important quality of superior fodder Is
ease and cheapness of production. Tor however
palatablo, wholesome nutritious and productive 1t
may be, if much care, hard labor aud expense arc
required get II raised and safely stored, 1t may
he practically inferior to another kind OF fodder OF
lower quality that is moro easil produced Fodder
maize il commonly spoken of as "a highly produc-
tive perhaps 10 gets more credit IN this respect
than " deserves Leaving ont all claims of Yields OF
forty TO sixty tons more to the acre we VIII take
twenty tons rs AN average crop IN lar seasons ana
with fair culture TINS would contain about 1'%oo
pounds Of dry substance. Almost as extraordinary
crops of fodder roots are CLAIMED ~ OF fodder
corn; but under like favorable conditions az
assumed above. $50 bushels OF mangodN may be |
safely counted upon. eighng. at sixty ponnds 10
the bushel, -. tons aud containing o.4OO pounds
OF dry substance. An average crop othay say J,0Oo
pounds would contain about 5000 pounds OF dry |
substance Now as to the cost OF the yold OF an |
acre IN the three cases Judging from the few |
reports that have been made public OF careful |
account with the ensilagcd maize cropit ma s'ie
allowed that the cost OF every ton OF fodder
deposItod in silO soil need not exceed - 30. or |
$40 % for every ton Ut dry substance Inc cost OF
a bushel OF mangOlds il given NJ from to cents
a. - mt al Ia a D.lA
dry substance per acre would be f0Z, or OF Ton |
SO %. IL is commonly acknowledged mat roots |
are costly a recent English writer says That II II
the most costly crop raised there Then corn fodder
put into the silo ~ costly crop also. III the |
special frieuds OF the Jston say that It's cost mas
been set too high the friends OF the root crop NAV
say that 900 or 1000 bushels can be produced on |
an acre at cost of 90 cents instead OF O3 cents
bushel. If We put the average cost oil tho acres |
Weld OF hay stored in the barn NJ SlO, Then Tor The
cost OF ton OF dry substance IN this standard
article of fodder we have Sli G6. In these est
mates no account is taken Of The loss suffered by
the fodder through fermentation IN the $40 DC
cause We have IA ye: no accurate DATA ny whloh 10
ensiloqe in tight masonry pits. That IL can be- left
ont Of account without leading us lar ray ~ |
indicated by results gwen by Professor Cook, OF
New Jersev who found that the loss OF dry sub
s,ance in the curing OF the fodder In the OLD way
was almost as great as by fermentation III tho sio.
In respect OF cheapnes- OF production OF gwen
quantity Of nutrient substance. corn fodder
whether put into the slo oI not, has therefore no
advantage over roots ana IS Inferior 10 sven o.,
binary hay. Here we find the weak spot III tho |
system and il IS "a weakness that should lead one
to think of the cost before inv estDg too largely IN
extensive masonry sos and to watch with the |
greater interest the results obtained in simple old
fashioned Crehchos such some are using even on
large scale in this country. To this view OF tne |
matter It will be objected that eDsaged corn
fodder has feeding value that Is not Indicated by
its con position, and that pound OF its dry sub
stance will produce more milk than pound OF dry |
substa nce OF similar compo,ition albamnoids.
fat and carbohydrates in hay other fodder TO this
must be replied that tas yet no satisfactory Proof
has been ri ven that by ensllagng corn fodder IT IS
made any more nutritious digestible or productive.
For this proof we must wait until careful digestion
and feeding experiments shall have been per
formed with corn fodder from the Same field,
mart ensila god and part cured dry.
What then are the wei. established advantages