The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-07-18
Experiments with Ensilage.


Experiments With EnsiIage.
CD. Benedict, superintendent of Bright /
side Farm, HOlyoke, Mass, has published az
account Of the experiments made there in |
raising and feeding ensilage, from which the /
following extracts are taken: Daring the /
season OF 1881, while erecting our barns, We /
put in eleven silos with a measured capacity
of LOCO tons. IL the month of October we |
put in fourteen sores 10 rye for ensilage pur.
poses, which we cut the following June.
This same ground was Immediately ploTed |
and top-dTessed with eight cords OF manure
per acre, narrowed in and sowed t. cora
June Is to % This crop was ensilosd due |
ing the third week in September, and the
same ground again plowed and sowsd to rye
in October, together with fourteen acres
more for the purpose Of ensilage next season. |
Some twenty acres or more of this same
ground viii be sowed TO corn next June,
thus devoting fOrty-fige or more acres TO en-
silsge crops.
Our experience with feeding ensilage began
October lG which time We brought some
thirty FIVE head Of cattle of all ages into a
barn ana opened silO OF rye. The cattle
took 10 it readily, and we noticed percepti-
bic increase in the flow and quality OF milk.
Three weeks later we opened silo of corn,
and We have fed the two alternately since,
with grain ration at cost OF eight aud
one half cents per day 10 our mich cows, to
sether with q small amount of roots two or
1lree UueS q week. NOW, as 10 results AS
an experiment with growing stock, l TOOK q
Holstein heller some thirteen months old.
carefully weighed her morning feed and
weighed her; fed her on ensilage weighed
each day, with q small euautity of ground
feed three poundsl for seven days when she
was again weished under the same crclm-
stances. and we found her TO have made
gain OF twelve pounds. l now FED her
on a ration of No. 1 hay in the proper
tons Of one OF hay TO three OF ensilage for
three days, and then weighed as bsfora con
tinued 10 feed the same amount of hay and
grain for seve0 days, when We found her ID
have gained five pounds, q gain OF seven
pounds in favor Of the ensilage feed, or one
pound day. She has since made a gain OF
154 pounds per day for seventy five consecu-
tive days For fattening have not expert
mented IN connection with hay but with
ensilsge pair OF oxen made gain OF 2H
pounds in twenty-six days, an average of
8 5-13 pounds per day. Their food consisted
of seventy pounds of ensilsge, with a grain
feed Of eight quarts, composed OF equal parts
of oats, corn ard barley, and one peek Of
roots for each animal per day, and they have
made continuous gain Of fraction over
eight pounds per day for eighty-six consecu-
tive days.
Again, find We ere wintering several
young things coming year old next June or
July at merely nominal cost on ensIage
ard very small amount of grain, consist
lieve they have grown as rapidly as in the
summer season on the best Of pssturage-
certsinly better than any stock 1 ever win
tered or hay and grain, ana at about one-half
the cost.
AS to ensilage for producing milk, l have
been unable to make any experiments thai
are satisfactory 10 me-nothing by which /
can fairly approximate the cost of g seasons
production, bat viii give you such as have.
/ ind the cost Of milk per quart from fresh
COW, fed on ensilage and grain ration, at a
cost OF 81 cents per day 10 be l.3i cents;
again, from a COW that had been MIXED
nearly eight months, with the same
grade rat on, , 80 cents per quart, a
difference of about one cent per quart
IN the CFo experiments. l will leave it to
any practical milk producer 70 say Il he
can produce milk for the bOve figures with 9
hay and grain ration. Further, these esti-
mates are based upon the est OF ensilage for
the Past season, which figures we hope 20 re-
duce another year One-tbird or more, as will
hereafter show, which reduction will COM
paIativeIy reduce the price of milk, growth
ard beef.
Our experience in feeding sheep upon en-.
sllaee IS entirely satisfactory. We took n
few breeding ewes as an experiment. Their
lambs are smart and strong. Toe sheep
themselves ere good mutton aud give an
abundance of mix for their young In short,
We deem ensllsge almost indispensable in the
department Of sheep hus6andry. Hogs eat it
with relish, and store hogs can be kept n
growing condition upon ensilage alone.
When used IN reasonable manner, good
ensilase is not equalled by any other coarse
fodder. a superior article of fodder must be
reasonably nutritious and productive. L.
should be a complete fodder with about the
r1ght proportion of The several nutriroents
for the best utilization Of all of them for
profit. judged by the German feeding
standards, the dry fodder corn, which 1nsti
tutes the bulk of the material for ensiloge,
does not meet this requirement; it is much
too poor in albumi1oids. Stock can be kept
on any Of these kinds of fodder-kept in a
growing condition to greater or less extent
And We claim that ensilage, compared 10 the
cost, is greatly superior TO all others Ny OBJ
serYation confirms me ia the opinion that
the fermentation which takes place is about
equal 10 - first degree Of digestion. an ex-
cess OF any kind Of food fed to animals be-
yoDd the capacity OF digestion, and conse-
oUently perfect assimilation is waste and
anything We can feed 70 aid in this respect is
fed at proiit. To this fact attribute the
economy OF the ensllage system.
As have alluded TO the cost OF production,
/ viii now give our experience for the past
year Our ground was carefully measured,
and every pound Of ensilage weighed
found our crop Of rye to weigh q tons 2l1
pounds, OF an average Of . tons 536lZ pounds
Der acre; corn. 2i2 tons, 80 pounds, an aver
age per acre Of 16 tons 337l y pounds or an
average of both crops Of p TONS 9241 pounds
per acre, and this at cost of-for growing
the rye, seventy. seven cents per ton: putting
into the sflo, 81 63lz q total cost for harvsal-
ing and ensiloing Of g 40lz per ton. The ex-
ing and ensiloing. 81. 30 per ton; total ex-
peuse per ton for growing and ensiloing the
cora crop, 330S, thus making an average