Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-08-16

Thls being placed in the cellar, with a
top to the keg, which settled down into
1t as the material was removed for use
and upon which top rested a weight.
completely protected the ensilage from
changes of temperature and access Of
air.
In order to fill the silo, if it may be
called such, green food was grown for
the purpose and cut when very succu-
lent. A great variety of vegetables
may be used for the purpose, such as
mustard, kale, radishes, spinach, tur-
nips and even peas the tops only being
selected also, grass, such as red or
white clover and young millet, as well
as the kinds grown on lawns but the
grass is best when cut before it begins
to seed. Oats and rye, thickly sown
and cut when six inches high, also an
swer well. After cutting the material
1t should be chopped into as short lengths
as possible not only to enable it to be
fed to the best advantage tut also to
assist in packing it closely in the silo.
When packing it the principal object
should be to press it as firmly as posi-
bic, not only by tramping but by ram
ming it with maui or some other
heavy instrument. 1t will surprise a
novice to see how large a quantity of
material will be needed for so small a
receptacle as a keg, especially if the
pressure is perfectly applied and the
work well done.
AS to the fermentation of the mass,
which gives to much difficulty with the
use of the ordinary silo, it may be stated
that, unlike cattle, poultry will reject
the food entirely if it is fermented or
sour, but this difficulty may be avoided
by burning little sulphur in the keg
from time to time as the material is
placed in, especially before it is pressed
down, and the oftener the sulphur is
burned the better. The top of the keg
should be on when SO doing in order to
contne the sulphur fumes, which are
not only heavy and rank, but are alb
sorbed by the material and moisture.
1t entirely prevents fermentation under
any conditions.
While it may require additional labor
to lay in store supply of green food
for feeding to poultry in winter, the
high prices usually obtained for eggs
during that season should induce all
who desire to make poultry profitable
to try the experiment. AS it has been
the object here to give cheap method
for preserving green food, those who
prefer to keep larger quantities can use
the ordinary silo for that purpose.
CultivatIng Sorghum.
Professor George H. Cook, Director
of the New Jersey Agricultural Expert
ment Station, at New Brunswick, in
the report on his labor, alludes to the
waste in the use Of mills for extracting
the juice, 40 per cent. of the sugar
being lost by the ordinary process. 1t
is worth while to inquire whether the
best mills, from which the pressed cane
comes out almost al thin and dry as
carpenters shavings, do not secure a
much larger percentage. Before con-
cluding his report, Professor G. refers to
the works of the sugar company in Cape
May CO., n. j., where 964 acres were
planted with early amber and early
orange seed, which gave 620O tons of
topped cane-one field Of eight acres
giving 1876 tons, or IL tons an acre, and
another of orange cane on 20 acres,
atfording 259 tons, or over y tons an
acre. The purity Of the juice was
remarkable, the amount of sugar in 100
pounds of solid expressed matter in an
entire weeks work being as high as 81,
and in one instance 90. The returns
show 1894 pounds of manufact-
ured sugar and 40, 200 gallons of dense
syrup. Professor Cook, in common with
Others who have tried the early ripening
kinds Of sorghum, expresses strong
hope in the ultimate success of this
industry, and cites the fact that some
1000, 100000 pounds Of sugar are
yearly consumed in this country, or 40
pounds to each inhabitant, only one
eighth of which comes from the sugar
cane growing States, as a reason for
giving this industry a thorough and
extensive trial.