Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-05-09
Concerning EnSilage.

EDITOR OF FREEMAN:-I am in favor
of every kind of Improvement that will
benefit the farmer, but after reading all
that comes along about ensilage, for and
against it, (and l admit we don't find
much said against iD | am not yet con-
WINGED that it is the best thing. l am
not going to condemn it wholly, for
have never seen one or talked with any
one who has tried it, yet as far as l Can
make out from all that read the extra
cost and trouble more than balances the
good got from it. In the New England
Homestead of March Oath, +. l. Warren
gives his experience in ensilage. He
made his silo of inch boards and two inch
blank nailed together so as to break
joints 16x1O feet and ~ feet deep. He
says the cost of boards and nails was less
rhan 500, but he makes no account OF
ime in making. Cost of cutting the corn
md filling the silo $24, this makes cost OF
S44 after his corn is in the barn. The
lilo was weighted with "18 to "a inches OF
tome" which settled it and 1.2 feet
Now here IRE number of tons of stone
hat have to be drawn and put on the sllo.
suppose this was included in the cost OF
ilIing, but when the silo was opened
hese stone all had to be lifted up 4 and
IL feet, which was not counted in the
cost, He does ! OF give the date Of his
writing but says he opened his silo Mo
vember 10Th and feed up to the presen
me bushel day each to ten head OF
cattle besides giving 16 head Of young
cattle a fodderlng every few days as Il
change of food" He feeds his milch
COWS hay in the morning before milking;
,fter the hay is eaten up, l quart OF corn
meal and 2 of bran; at 3 p. NJ, waters
and feeds ensiage; after milking at night.
he same quantity of grain, six quarts in
Ill. He says his cattle have never dom
better in the winter, in milk or tlrsh
butter of nice color ard flavor, which h
links is all due to the enslage. l will
not attempt to dispute him, hui every on'
can see that he has laid out $44 TO get his
snsilage down, but he says nothing ahou'
The expense in getting it up and think II
will not fall much below the cost o.
utting the stalks, to say mo- hing about
he hay and grain fed besides. He says
here were six inches around the sides
hat spoiled by moulding. So much for
his mans silo, and from what | ca,
gather they average about the same;
90 much money and hard work for /,
title gain. Ii it will not take up ton
much space | would like 10 give our
manner Of feeding. We plant our fodde,
;urn so as 10 have it ear, and 1t should b.
ut just as the ears are out of the milk
he stalks are then green, it should be
looked up, and let it stand until thor
oughly cured, then draw aud NOW it away
As we would hay. There is no trouble at
Ill in curing it. if it is well stood up ST
hat it will not spoil in the NOW. We
ut it up by horse power Now after it is
ut we are just as far along as The
nsilage man We feed our cattle one
bushel each, morning and night. AT noon
We give them two bushels of sugar beets
nd nothing else. If we are milking any
f the cows we give them about tire.
q 1arts daily of meal, tone bushel of rye
. three bushels Of oats, with one bag OF
ars of corn TO every len bushels of lh'
nlx'ure of rye any oats) ground together
| will guarantee the cattle fed on this fee,
- come out in the spring as slick ard fa'
nd believe much heal, hier, than if fed
ensilnge. After we get our thleshin.
the in the win er we usually mix The On
md wheat chaff with the corn fodder ant
eed bushel of this mixture night an'
morning with the beels at noon. Gu
altlle are slick and fat, and the lister,
made The remark that they were the hes
oking in he town and wanted to know
now much meal we fed them.
As soon rs the cattle begin to come il
We feed six quarts of the above name"
neal per day. If we increase it they will
rot eat it all. AS the days get longer IN
he spring we give at noon little oa'
straw scattered around the yard and wha
hey leave is there to soak up the water in
the spring. was very much taken up
with the idea of ensilage when it frs
begun to be talked about, but l believe
would not change our method for epsiage
yet. YOU'VE FARMER.
P. S. l would say to farmers where
hey have plenty of time and help not t.
plant their fodder corn with a drill We
nave tried it both ways and are satisfied
hat the best results are obtained by plant
ng with hand planter. Use one that
orces the corn into the ground. Corn,
planted with planter of this kind, will
come up from two TO three days earlier
han when planted with drill. Try it,
Although Young Farmer says moth
ing of it he has invented and is introducing
, hand planter, which we saw at the state
'air and gave a brief notice.
1t is made of malleable iron, light, |
strong, durable. Just how it will work |
we cannot say not having tried it, but
rom his well known mechanical ingenuity |
we should expect it TO be a success. II |
we have chance to see it work we will |
report on its performance.