Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-01-26

t Pomfret also paying him warm tribute
D The committee appointed to secure the ap
Q pointmont of State chemist and u law fol
= securing unadulterated commercial fertilizer.
G was called upon, and Mr.. Tinkham, IN re
Spouse, spoke about the passage of such q
I law by the late Legislature
u. w. whitney of Wilston spoke of The
pay OF the State chemist, which the law
I places at 50 for each analysis, Some of us
thought that the University ought to do il
for nothing and others that the pay ought 10
be more than So.
: Gen. Thomas thought the farmers ought
+ not to complain If professional men run the
State, for they are greatly in the majority.
The farmers are strong enough to look out
Tor their own interests and they ought to do
= II. If your member Of the Legislature thinks
that the State isn't rich enough to publish
the report of the proceedings of such farm
crs association as this don't send him there
again. Applause. The farmers is the
] most honorable of occupations. About tins
50 for Analysing fertilizers, we pay lawyer
readily twice or thrice that amount andthink
nothing of 1t. The farmers arc the most in
dependent people on earth and they ought TO
DC the honestcst and live the best
MIR. Tinkham said that the life member
ship fee in this association was only five dol
lars and life member was exempt from all
assessments. Most of the prominent dairy
men of this State are life members Of lh 8
organization. Their membership fees were
long ago expended for current expenses and
hence our association Is bankrupt. This is
not as il should be, and hope the organize
ton will be placed upon n sound basis.
Col. Mead would like to see the association
placed upon solid financial basis at once,
but he thought n large fund was by no means
needed. 1t would be enough if we contribute
a little from year to year. Col. Mead thank
cd the association for the compliment of re.
election as its president.
Mr.. Williams suggested that every person
present not yet member now have an OPP
| porlunity 10 become such, and that every
member subscribe one dol lar for the treasury
of the association.
The suggestion was adopted and the secrc.
tary had u lively time receiving funds for the
next quarter of an hour.
A long and interesting discussion on the
subject Of ensage then followed. Mr.. J.W
| WolcOtt of Boston and ex-GovJ q. Smith Of
st, Adams, who were expected to be present
and lead the discussion, being unavoidably
detained by business, the president called
hrst upon Captain Morton OF Essex Junction,
The captain said that oil he knew about en-
sllase he had learned from the papers, in
which he had made u very careful study of
the subject. The first year he tried it he put
his ensilage into pit in the ground; and 1t
was good ensilage, too, though it frozc some.
Then he built large stone silo, and was
troubled with water and the decaying of the
cnslage. Then he built a common board silo
like an ice-house, and was very careful 10
press the cnsilage in very tight, reading it
well down around the corners. Did a large
portion of the work himself, and was conf
dent that farmers need not he in such IL hur-
ry and go to such an expense us they do in
putting in enslagc lie put his corn fodder
in top of the sio and layer of straw between
Tie corn fodder and the stalks, The great
fear of acid, he said, is groundlcss. Acid is
benefit Cows prefer cut cnsilagc 10 hay
1t Is best to feed little grain with Tie cns-
age. The silo should be Us nearly lit
rs possible.
Mr.. Roston of Jericho said that lie had
tried cnslage and liked it very much He
had fed his cows upon it for some time. His
manner of feeding was-hay in the morning.
and Immediately afterwards a bushcl of Gu
sllage to each COW, and Il bushcl also in the
evening. He mixed with his cnsi|agc corn
ground on the cob and rye, three pounds to a
COW per day. The average number Of pounds
OF milk per day from twenty cows was twen-
ly-cight. From twcnty-thrcc cows and hclf-
ers he realized in sale Of butter per year
SlOOG. lie considered two tons OF cnsi!agc
better than one ton OF hay.
Gen. Thomas was called upon by the pres.
ident and made some very interesting re-
marks. Cattle Can tell best he said. what
nature in them Graves, and they take that.
Cattle always take ensilage in preference 10
hay. There is more nutrimcnt inthc corn
stalk when undeveloped than when ripe, be-
cause the nutrimcnt passes into the ear when
ripe. 1t should be cut for ensilage when the
ear is near the milk, and should he cut as
cl Sc 10 the ground us possible. Gen.
Thomas said that his method of cutting en-
slldge was To 20 into the field in the morning
while the dew was still on, an cut the en-
sagc aud put it directly into the silo. In
most parts OF Vermont, he said, there is no
difficulty in getting two crops season for
insilage. Cows fed on ensilage will gvic an
equal amount of milk in winter and summer.
and ii is cheaper way of feeding than the
old fashioned way. Swale hay may be pro-
ftaOly mixed with ensilage. There is no
other way OF keeping stock 50 cheap. The
secret OF good ensilage is Just ths-puttin. it
in in right condition and excluding fros,
and atmosphere. Then the silo is sure to be u
success.
DIR. Wakefield of Massachusetts said that
questions asked of practical men ought to be
confined TO practical things; chemical ques-
>. e,
for his part, believed that cnsiage was
good thing, but whether it was the best or
not, he had not made up his mind.
MIR. Conner of Burlington said that his en-
periencc with cnsilagc had been very cncolr-
aging. lie and Mr. Lawrence Barnes put in
sllo on the latter's farm, rented by MTConnor
and used by the latter as Il milk producing
farm. Mr.. Connor sells milk to denver in
this city, and by keeping record OF produc-
ton ard delivery every day, was enabled 10
compare the amount of milk produced before
and after using ensilage. He found that
each COW gave - cents worth more milk
every day, in four weeks trial, fed on en-
sillge and grain, than she did fed on hay,
corns,alks aud grain, AT first some custom
ers complained that the milk had bad taste
and edor, but he scaldcd the cans aud no
further complaint was made. BY chemical
analysis, the milk produced from ensiage
and grain was found to be richer than that
produced from dry feed and grain. The fol-
lowing analysis was made by Prof. Sabin
Water, S6.2; butter, 4.36 cascinc, 10
sugar, 40 ash, ~. Average Of purity,
5000. This is far better analysis than was
given Mr.. Connor's milk four years ago, al
though ii was then the best OF five dealers
Mr.. Taylor, of the Vermont Stock Farm,
sad that they had been using ensiagc there,
TO feed steers upon, with the most gratifying
results Twcnty-one steers were taken from
n lot OF ninety and fed eighty five pounds of
cnsiagc day and two pounds of grain The
othtl steers were fed on hay and the same
amount of gain. In trial of three months
the twenty one steers fed on ensilagc and
grain gained fifteen to twenty pounds per
month more than the others, and continued
TO gain in the same ratio.
Mr., Whitney of Willison, said that
he was not so enthusiastic AS some over en-
sage, but that he believed ii was n good
thing 10 make variety in the feed of mich
cows. lie gave his experience with ensilage