West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1885-09-16

folds to ua how it is that one man
can take away and stack the straw
from a thresher, and the moment
the machine stops have the entire
straw crop in perfect shape, all
cleaned up" and under roof, ready
when the first wintry blast comes
to turn in the cattle, under the
sheds beneath, to feed at will from
the ever-filled racks, snugly shelter
ed from the wind and storm.
Besides barns and stables, all
about and most handily arranged,
are sheds, tool-houses, poultry
houses and all manner of conven-
lent out-buildings, all in perfect
repair, while just uuder the hill is
the carp pond, alive with "thor-
oughbred" fish.
sILOs AND ENsILAGE.
The most novel and I'M eresting
feature Of the large main building
described, is the arrangement for
preparing and preserving ensilage,
that new and wonderfully nutri.
tious stock feed, so deligh tful to
the taste Of all grass and grain feed
ing animals.
Of this new feed, Manly Miles
in the american Agriculturist says {:
"The silo is wonderful innovation
which has gone steadily on, con-
stantly adding to the number of
its firm adherents, the use of ensil-
age becoming more and more gen.
eral."
WHAT IS A sILo2 AND WHAT is
ENsILAGE?
These will doubtless be the first
questions in the minds of many
FREEMAN readers.
ANSWER Ensilage is simply
green fodder preserved in its green
state, much as ripe fruit is preser-
we'd in its natural state in alright
vessels.
The growing corn, peas, millet,
oats, rye, ETC., is cut in its sticky
state, run through a cutting ma
chine, thrown in bulk into huge,
alright bins, tanks or cisterns, and
put under pressure. This green
mass, after reaching a condition of
semi-fermentation, remains thus
through winter, to be fed out as re-
quired.
These tanks or "silos, "as they are
termed, Of which Mr.. Carskadon
has three, holding over 80 tons
each, ARE most conveniently arrang-
ed on one side of his three-story
barn, extending from above the up
per, down to the lower floor. They
are built like an ice-house, with
double, tight board walls, filled in
between with coal cinders. The
cutting machine being on the floor
with the top of the silos, the green
corn or other fodder, as cut, falls di-
rectly into them, and when flled,a
covering of lumber is put on and
the pressure applied. For this
pressure Mr., Carskadon uses COM
mon cheap screw bolts, a most val
liable arrangement, by which the
cost of COMPRISING the ensilage is
reduced to mere trife. The feed
is hoisted out as used, by rope and
pulley.
DOWN IN A sILo.
The writer went down the ladder
into one of these (nearly emptied)
silos, with the enthusiastic patron
and advocate of this new stock-fat-
tener. Digging down few inches
into the packed mass,he presented
handful of the green substance
for inspection. 1t was very moist
and quite warm 80 much SO that the
uninitiated would think it about
to "spoil." But it was found pleas
ant both to smell and taste, having
a vinous, acid favor that a prohi-
bitionist would almost condemn,
lest the feeding of it to stock should
be tempting the innocent animals
with an intoxicating beverage.
And SO the ensilage is preserved
in this warm, moist and semi-fer-
mented state. It is eagerly sought
and enjoyed with growing delight
by sheep, cattle, horses and all grass
and grain feeding animals.