St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-08-10
Igrirnhnral
Experiments in Feeding Ensi-
lage.

Hampdcn Farmers club, according to
the Country Gentleman. as follows:
During the season of 1881, while
erecting our barns, we put in eleven
silos with measured capacity of 1000
tons. In the month of October, we put
in fourteen acres to rye for ensilage
purposes, which was cut the following
June O. and 100. This same ground
was Immediately plowed and top
dressed with eight cords of manure per
acre. narrowed in, and sOwed to corn
June Ii to ~. This crop was ensiloed
during the third week in September,
and the same ground again plOwed and
sOwed to rye III October, together with
fourteen acres more for the purpose of
ensilagc next season. Some twenty
acres OF more of this same ground will
be sowed to corn next June, thus de-
voting foTty-hve or more acres to en-
silage crops. Our experience with
feeding ensilage began Oct. l6, at which
time we brought some thirty-five head
of cattle of all ages into the barn and
opened a silo of rye. The cattle took
to it rapidly, and we noticed a percep
tihle increase in the flow and quality of
milk. Three weeks later we opened a
silo of corn, and we have fed the two
alternately since, with a grain ration
at cost of II cents per day to our
mich cows, together with a small
amount of roots two or three times Il
week. Now, rs to results:
As an experiment with growing
stock, took Holstein heifer some
thirteen months old, carefully weighed
her morning feed and weighed her; fed
her on ensilagc, weighed each day,
with small quantity of ground feed
(thrce pouuds) for seven days, when
she was again weighed under the same
circumstances. and we found her to
have made Il gain of twelve pounds. |
now fed her on Il ration of No. | hay
in the proportions to one of hay to
three of cnsilage for three days, and
then weighed as before continued to
feed the same amount of hay and grain
for seven days, when we found her to
have gained five pounds, a gain of sew
en- pounds in favor of the ensilage feed,
or one pound a day. She has since
made Il gain of l.5l pounds per day for
scvcnty-iivc consecutive days. For
fattcning. have not experimental in
connection with hay, but with ensilage
pounds in twcnty-SiX DAYS. an average
of . j-l3 pounds per day. Their feed
consisted of seventy pounds of ensi-
lagc, with a grain feed of eight quarts,
composed of equal parts of oats, corn
and barley, and one peek of roots for
each animal per day, and they have
made Il continuous gain of fraction
over eight pounds per day for cighty-siX
consecutive days.
Again, | find we are wintering sew
eral young things coming Il year old
next June and July at a merely nomi-
nal cost on cnSilagc and Il very small
amount of grain, consisting mostly of
coarse wheat bran. and ! believe they
have grown as rapidly as in the sum
mcr season on the best of paSturagc-
certainly better than any stock ! ever
wintercd on hay and gain, and at
about one half the cost. As to ensilage
for producing milk, have been unable
to make any experiments that are sat
isiactory to mc-nothng by which
can fairly approximate the cost of Il
seasons production, but will give Won
such rs have. find the cost of milk
per quart from IA fresh COW, fed on en-
silagc, and Il grain ration at cost of
: cents per day, to he | "a cents ::
again. from Il COW that had been milk
ed nearly eight months with the same
grain ration, 2.8 cents per quart, diff
ference of about one cent per quart in
the two experiments. ! will leave it to
any practical milk producer to say if
he can produce milk for the above fig
urcs with a hay and grain ration. Fur
Their, these estimates are based upon
cost of cnsilage for the last season.
which figures we hope to reduce anoth-
er year onc-thiTd or more. as | will
hereafter show, which reduction will
comparatively reduce the cost of milk.
growth and beef. Our experience in
feeding sheep upon cnsilage is entirely
satisfactory. We took in Il few breed
ing ewes as an experiment. Their
lambs are smart and strong. The
sheep themselves are good mutton, and
give an abundance of milk for their
young. In short, we deem ensilage al
most Indispensable in the department
of sheep huSbapdry. Hogs eat it with
relish. and store hogs can be kept in
growing condition upon cnSilagc alone.
And right here let me say that theory
is against us in a measure, in the eco
nomical use of ensilage. All have to
say is theory and practice do not 90
hand in hand in this matter. The
practical results tell the story. A man
can sit in his chair and theorize until
doomsday, and not change practical
result one iota.
When used in reasonable manner.
good ensilage is not equalled by any
other coarse fodder. \ superior article
of fodder must bc reasonable. nutri-
tious and productive. 1t should be a
complete fodder with about the right
proportions of the several nutrients for
the best utilization of all of them for
profit. Judged 10y the German feeding
standards. the dry substance of fodder
corn. which constitutes the bulk of the
material for ensilage, does not meet
this requirement; it is much too poor
in albumiuOidS. Stock can be kept on
any of these kinds of fodder-kept in a
growing condition tO Il greater or less
extent And we claim that ensilage
compared to the cost Is greatly superb
OF to all others. My observation con-
firms me in the opinion that the fer
mentation which takes place is about
equal Ia the first degree of digestion.
An excess of any kind of food fed to
animals beyond its capacity of diges-
ton. and consequently perfect assimi-
lation. Is a waste, and anything we can
feed to aid in this respect is fed at a
profit. 70 this fact attribute the
economy of the ensilage system. As |
have alluded to the cost of production
| will now give our experience for the
past year
Our ground was carefully measured.
and every pound of ensilagc weighed.
| found our crop of rye to weigh sew
enty-eight tons 2ll pounds, or an av-
eragc of five tons 5Stt pounds per acre: