The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-02-08
ESSILAGE.
TIL" Scc"nd Days Session OF the second
EnsiiiEe Consrcss.


New YORK, January 27.-Among the
attendants on the Enslagc congress at
No. 80 Bcekman street yesterday were
lie Grand Is Cannon and Orlando B.
Potter who have practiccd the new sys.
TEN Of feeding on their extensive farms
near Darlington, VI, and near Sing
Sing, y. y. 1t WAS the announced pur.
pose Of Mr. Brown, who is the practical
conductor Of the congress. To- introduce
greater practicality into the discussions
by putting questions touching the system,
having them answered by different dele.
gates. Finding Mr.. Cannon and Mr.
Potter in the room, however, he first in.
vited them TO give their experiences in q
general way. They did so Il number Of
farmers began TO ask questions concern
ing statements made by them, and very
soon the discussion had become general
as on the preceding day. II was not
until the afternoon session that the qlns-
tons sent to the secretary Ot different
persons were submitted for answer. The
attendance was over one hundred
Mr.. Cannon said that his experience
with cnsilage was limited and wa con.
fined exclusively 10 iattening cattle
With n view TO determine the relative
economy in diet of cn-illgc aud hay, he
last year brought herd Of ninety short
horn Grcys and separated them into
three groups. The first group he treated
as the average New England farmer
treats his cattle in the winter. lie turn.
ed them into the yard with open shelter
and fed them daily twenty pounds Of
chafed hay and three pounds of grain.
| The second lot lie kept in stanchions and
fed them twenty pounds of hay aud one
peek Of mangcls. The third lot were
also kept in =tanchions and fed on cnsi-
lngc with three pounds of grain. He
weighed all the fodder aud also weighed
| the animals once q month. Assuming
the cost of lin? to be 80 ton, and the
cost Of chailing it 81 more lie found tha,
the relative cost Of feeding the three lots
WAS as follows for Nix months: First lot,
5000 second lot $2340; third lot,
Sli.4G. ihc eusInsc couatc,! at g CENTS Il.
! day. The economy Of cnsipge over hay
| WAS $3.50 or 25 per cent. of ensilagc
over hay and roots, 80 or SO per cent.
The gain in weight Of the animals WAS
First lot, per cent. second lot, 81 per
cent third lot ia per cent. The gain
in quality was about equal in the second
and third lots. He sold both lots fal G
cents pound OIL foot ut the farm for cx-
port, but for the first lot he could not get
an offer above s cents. The total gain in
favor of enaiage WAS 5l4 per cent.
a COSGHEsSMAN'S EXPERIENCE.
Congressman Orlando Il. Potter said
that his experience during the last year,
rs before, had been that the cows yield
more and were in better condition when
fed on ensiagc than when fed in the old
way. lie had last year tried one expert.
mcnt, following suggestion of NJ. GotTart,
which WIS to have from 10 to 20 per
cent. Of old cut up with the corn and put
in the sio. He found that when moro
than 10 per cent. was put in the quality
of the ensilayc was in ured. Next year
he would put in very little hay, as his
experience had shown that the ensilagc
was not benefited by him. He had found
that pits below the surface of the ground
kept ensilagc better than any other. lie
was also convinced that the best and
cheapest covering for silo was earth,
putting il on over few inches Of chaf.
Generally he found that covering from
eight to twelve inches would suffice. In
reply to questions Mr.. Potter stated that
eusilage of two years standing was III
good as of one, and that he would feed it
as long rs it lasted. AS to the relative
value of green corn and corn ensiage,
Mr. Potter said he had formerly "soiled"
his cattle in the spring and fall. He had
found that frequently they "scourea."
He then ceased feeding them the corn,
cut green in tho field, and gave them
"ensiaged" corn, and had no trouble
since. Hereafter he would pass nll his
corn, as far as possible, through the sio.
A farmer suggested that this wns Z Hew
idea. lie had never known OF injury
to cattle from eating green truck" and
hnd found that it always increased the
yield.
The Rev. DIR. Ormiston said that forty
five years ago, when he WAS on his
fathers farm in Scotland, it was the Gus
tom to feed the cattle the outside kalc
blades with more or less injury. shown by
their occurring" A difference should be
preserved between perennial grasses and
ANNALS like corn aud grain. The for.
mer were eatabe at any time, but the
latter must be matured before they were
healthy. 1t was the same 10 feed the
cattle young corn rs To feed children
green apples. Physicians in this city
had stated that much of the sickness in
children was due to tho immature fodder
fed by farmers to their COWS.
wEIGHTING THE sILO.
John b. Kennedy described his success
in weighting lis silo by Or. Daiiey's
plan. lie used horses TO pack it, starting
them on the outside edge and working
toward the center. When they came to
trampling down tho crown the lateral
pressure would pack tho sides tighter.
The cost to him of raising 500 tons of
corn ensilage on forty acres, estimating
tho quantity on basis of fifty pound to
the cubic foot, and packing it, was 81 IS
10 per ton, and he spent $6.lS for phos-
pilates, which he made himself.
Mr.. Potter said that one great advan-
tage in feeding clover cnsiage was, that
il would not sour, aud calves beginning
to eat it when they left pasture would
continue to grow as fast as they had in
the pasture If kept warm.
Before adjournment the congress adop-
ted resolutions expressing to NJ. Gofiart
appreciation of the system of ensilage
and recommending to the farmers Of the
limited States ita universai adontion as