The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-02-09
Glle Garmer.
Green Food for Cattle.

representing nearly every State east of tn
Mississippi
Prof. Miles, of Amherst College, deliver
ed an interesting address on the subject G
ensilage and the best methods of presery
ing green fodder. He thought it shout
be placed in the silos slowly, thus allowing
it to become heated This is contrary t
the usual custom and occasioncd muc
debate.
Ensilage has been tested in this countr,
for five years. The object of the annua
meetings is to compare experience and re
suits. As an art, ensilage is yet in its in
fancy. 1t was practiced first in France, ii
1873, on large scale, and was adopted il
America in 1878. The system has enemies
who insist that the preserved grass or corr
spoils the milk, and that, being the frs
stage of fermentation, it must eventually
undermine the health Of cattle.
At this Congress both sides of the ques
ton were presented. Edward Gridley, Of
Wassaic, n Y, gave an account of the
difficulty the Wassaic farmers had with a
New York condensed milk company which
had its factory near Wassaic. Milk was
furnished to this factory by farmers from
great distance around it. In 1880 three
farmers experimental with silos. Milk in
creased in quantity, and milk inspectors
at the factory tried in vain to detect some
thing wrong in it. They pronounced the
milk good In 1881 eight additional silos
were made, and in 1881 and 1882 great
deal of milk was furnished to the factory
Belt has gas'o fed on ensilage, and no fault
--'t.-police protectioh,eS2 four more silos were
from cattle1 have ali =. more silos in Was
was found. In NS the STREET the country
built. There were them Why should GlIs. =
sale than in any other part on--e---
in a territory of similar extent. In Fep-
ruary. 1883, the milk was refused at the
factory. The farmers were told that some
milk which came from COWS fed on ensilage
had been condensed by itself, and it was
found that the milk would not remain tit
for consumption as long time as other
milk. 1t was asserted, too, that New ork
consumers complained that they could taste
something bad in the milk. The President
of the milk company offered to furnish the
usual food for cows if farmers would not
fill their silos last summer, and refused to
make contracts with them from October |,
1883, to March 81, 1884, if the farmers
filled their silos.
Corn had been planted when this propo-
sition came from the condensed milk COM
pany, and the farmers permitted the ques-
ton to remain open until the time came
for them to decide whether to fill their
silos When that time arrived seven silos
were filled and eight were allowed to re-
main empty The speaker was one who
refused to yield to the condensed milk COM
pany. He had bought thirty steers and
was fattcning them for market. DIR. Tan
ner. Mr.. Chaffee, and others had done the
same Mr. Gridley thought it question
which was the way to make most money,
but he thought it was by selling milk.
However, he was not so certain of that
when he found that two old oxen gained two
and one-third pounds day on ensilage
DIR. Tanner of the same town said he had
$50 COWS, and that after the trouble with
the factory he sold 100 of them and took
the milk of fifty to New York city. The
customers who used the milk did not COM
plain of it If they did he had hay enough
for the cows.
B. Rogers of Binghamton said he fur
nished the milk of cnsilage-fed COWS to
many people in Binghamton. They com
planned of the milk just after the silo was
opened in winter Out of three hotels, one
had complained.
A resolution was passed asking the De-
partment of Agriculture at Washington to
make an analysis of ensilage milk and of
that produced by the ordinary feeding and
to publish the result, and also requesting
the State Experimental Station of New
York tomake similar comparative analysis.
Elder Evans of the Lebanon Shakers
said the Shakers filled three silos last sum-
mer, and had fed out two Of them. Their
butter was as good as ever. Elder Evans
thought that it is easy to make a poor
article, but that there is no reason why ell
silage is not perfect food. He saw no
injurious effect ON the cattle
Prof Miles of the Amherst Agricultural
College read paper on the prevention of
acidity in ensilage He said that fermen-
tation is the result of process of vital ac-
tivity in which microscopic gems are nour-
ished. These gems are called bacteria, and
they produce the acidity. If the bacteria
could be killed there could be no acidity.
The way to kill them, he thought, Was to
fill the silos leisurely, and not put on the
weights until the temperature is high
enough to prevent its falling below the
point necessary to kill the bacteria. This
temperature, he had found, was from 1852
to 1929. The result, he believed, would
be uniformly sweet ensilage.
John Myer of Mr.. Theodore A. Have
myers Mountain Side farm, near Mahwah
N. j., said he fed each of his 100 Jerseys
twenty pounds of ensilage in the morning
and twenty pounds at night, with seven
pounds of hay at noon. With each meal
was given also quart of ground oats and
Indian meal The cattle were never turned
out to pasture, and had been fed in this
way for three years. Their health is per-
feet. The ensilage had been taken from
sixty-three acres of land, producing about
twenty tons to the acre.
Some one asked whether ensilage is good
for horses. DIR. Baxter of Virginia said
81 fed my horses ensilage for week. Sc
did neighbor. My neighbors horses died
About that time heard of some mules dy,
ing in Kentucky from eating ensilage
Then concluded to stop feeding cnsiliage.
Henry Goodwill of Passaic said he had
an old horse which he fed ensilagc bccaus,
he didn't care whether the old plug lived
OF died. 1t got fat.
J. Costigan of Frederick Bronsons farm
in Greenfield Hill, Conn, said he had fed
ten horses for week past on ensilage, and
eight of them had died.
Prof. j p Edwards, of Randolph, n
Y, said that he fed sixty cows on nothing
but ensilage maize, and that they gave bet
ter milk and were in better condition thai
ever before