Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-02-15
ENsILAGE AS A FODDER.

The ensllage congress, held In New
York and attended by about us far
mers, had a free discussion on the
value of ensilage, the best method of
growing the crops and filing the silos,
the cost of the preserved fodder, and
the best crops for ensilaging purposes.
Legrand B. Cannon, of New York,
said that his experience with ensilage
was very limited and confined almost
exclusively to its effect in fattening
cattle. He purchased ninety short
horned cattle and experimental with
them on his farm in Vermont last
winter, treating some as the New
England farmer treats his stock and
feeding others on ensilage. 1t cost
him ten and half cents per day for
each animal fed on hay, and eight cents
per day for each animal fed on
ensiIage. The economy of ensilage
over hay was thus $3.50 during
period of six months. The gain in
weight of the cattle fed on hay was
five per cent, and the gain of those
fed on ensilage was III per cent, the
gain in condition of the ensilage-fed
cattle being fully twenty per cent.
The normal temperature Of the bovine
family is 102 degrees, and the speaker
found that the temperature of the
cattle fed on ensilage was uniform
throughout the winter, while that Of
the others was continually huctuating.
Mr.. Cannon said that he was highly
pleased with the result of his expert
ments with ensilage, and proposed to
continue them this winter.
Congressman-elect Orlando B. Pot
ter said that his experience of last
year had been repeated this year On
his farm at Sing Sing, and he had
made no changein his experiments ex-
cept to increase the quantity of ensi-
lage and decrease the amount of grain
fed to his cattle. He had also addel
hay to the contents Of his silos, mix
ing it with his ensilage, and he found
that if he mixed more than ten per
cent. Of hay it injured the ensilage-
He considered that silos under ground
were superior to those built above
ground, and the best covering for them
was eight or ten inches of earth. His
ensilage was slightly acid, but there
was nothing offensive about it, and he
frequently placed it in his mouth and
chewed it. The fermentation which
takes place is about equal to the first
process Of digestion. Mr.. Pot
ter asked if any person present
had fed ensilage to hogs
with success. President Morris
answered that he had given ensilage
to hogs and that they grew fat on it.
He wanted no better food for them.
George T. Powell, of Ghent. n. Y,
said that he had had two years ex-
perience Of feeding ensilage to sheep
and hogs. Three years ago he fed
sheep on the best clover hay. and the
gain in weight was twenty-three and
one-half pounds per head when he
shipped them to New York. He fed a
number Of merinos on ensilage year
ago. Their average weight in the fall
was seventy-five pounds, and their
average weight in me market in March
was ninety-two pounds. Mr.. Bene
dict, of Holyoke, Mass, testified to
the adaptability of ensilage as food for
hogs. He is feeding sixty-fve hogs on
this preserved fodder, and they relish
it and are rapidly growing fat on it.
Mr.. Powell, in answer to aquestion as
to the effect of ensilage on horses, said
| that he had fed his five horses on
corn ensilage with grain and hay.
With one exception they all like it,
and the horse that don't seem to like
it particularly well manages to eat lis
ration all up during the day. My
horses never looked better" said the
speaker, ethan they have since have
fed them from the silo."
WV. Merriam, Of Somerville, N. j.,
said that Professor Cook, Of the New
Jersey Agricultural college, claimed
that dry stalks properly treated prove
as good fodder as ensilage. The
speaker did not agree with the pro
fessor. He weights his silo with stone
and turns out as fine ensilage as car
be produced. He owns the largest
eighteen-months-old New Jersey heifeI
that he has ever seen, and she has been
raised entirely on ensilage. Mr.. Mer-
riam found that the cost of $50 tons of
fodder was, on an average, S2.62l pei
ton. Mr.. Linsley, Of Morris county
N. J., exhibited a specimen Of butter
made from cream taken from the milk
of cows which were fed entirely on en-
silage. The milk increased from fifteer
totwenty per cent. in quantity and very
materially in quality within one week
w. II. Truslow believed that corn was
the best material for making ensilage
He tried sorghum on tht
farm Of the late Samuel Remington
at Cazenovia, but he founC
that the rind was tough an,
sharp, and cattle do not like it. HI
thought clover contained too much nj
trogen to make good ensilage. HI