The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1884-06-20
SILO EXPERIENCE.
By HOMER Cook.

In his communication on the ensilage
uestion, published May Sd, 1884, Mr..
VIM. A. Curtis, in commenting upon the
fact that Maj. Alvord had found that a
better quality of butter was obtained
while the cows were being fed on ensiI-
age than when being fed on dry feed.
says: it is quantity rather than quality
the average man looks for. AS it is on
ly by actual trial that we can determine
the quantity Of milk obtained from cows
when fed on ensilage as compared with
the quantity obtained when fed on dry
feed, wish to call attention to recent
letter from Mr.. VIM. HI. Hopkins. of
Providence, r. T., to the Ncw E,aotag,d
Farmer, published April 9th, 1884, which
is as follows
When you were here we had lust
commenced our experiment of feeding
all dry feed instead of ensilage and dry
feed, as follows: On removing the ensi-
lage from the silOs we mixed corn and
rye, about three-fourths corn and one
fourth rye, to which is added about one
third of dry corn fodder: this mixture
we feed night and morning, with meal
and shorts, and dry hay at noon, on
which our cattle did well, but our rye
having grown coarse and hard before
cutting, and being put into the silo
whole, did not pack well, and after be-
ing opened and more exposed to the air,
it was thought by few that it, the en-
silages, impaired very slight unpleas-
ant taste to the milk on this feed.
The COWS gave on the last seven days
9l93 quarts of milk the change was to
give all dry corn fodder instead of part
ensilage, night and morning, feeding hay
at noon as before; this was continued
for ten days, on the last seven of which
the COWS had shrunk their milk to 1924
quarts. We then steamed the same feed
for ten days, giving in each ten days the
same amount of meal and shorts the
last seven days of this ten they had
shrunk to 815 quarts. We then put them
on ensilage as before, leaving out the
rye, for ten days, when, to my surprise,
they gave on the last seven DAYS 924
quarts. All the COWS but one are with
calf one has since dried off, and none
have been added thus you see they
have shrunk in twenty days 943 quarts,
and gained in the next ten DAYS 100 |
quarts.
| have been very slow in adopting the |
silo system, feeling that its friends claim
ed too much for it, and have had but |
q very limited experience, but the re-
suits have been so astonishing to me,
after carefully experimenting, that it is
no longer question with me, shall I |
build more silos? But / shall proceed
at once to build five more, of about the
same capacity of the four now have.
My farmer and herdsman were opposed,
but are now thoroughly converted to
the system, saying that we not only get
more but better milk, and the stock
looks better"
Subsequently Mr.. Hopkins wrote to
The same paper:
have still another story about en-
'ilage. When / wrote you last ! had
ust completed my experiment with dry
ind steamed food and returned to corn
snsilage with the results named, and no
complaint about the taste of milk: r
hen took a farrow COW that had given
n the last three days 20 lbs. of milk
lext three days on dry fodder SIS lbs. Il
lext three days on steamed fodder 81
bs. +; next three days on corn ensilage,
Y lbs.'
Another expert ment recently made is | !
lluded to in the american OssHivator of ;
LAY Oath, as follows