The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-02-19
SWEET ENslLA cE
with Experience the Farmer NAV ~.
Sour or Sweet Ensilage At yv,u ''ss'


Orc Of the greatest objections -
silage as usually made is its aaid;...
and although almost all kinds Of tasa.
stock learn to eat it.with apparent raj
lsh, there are many farmers who oh;ac.
to fermented food, especially when i
an acid nature. ike the ensilage mad
from green cornstalks and similar a.
age plants. Recently there has been
good deal said in the English aor;c,,i 8
tural press about what is called :sswaat
ensilage;" and although most of the ~
tempts to make it in this country bar.
tailed, we understand thata few of tha
English farmers have been very succaos1
tul, and it is thought that. with a l;ttla
more experience, the farmer NAV 10
enabled to produce either sweet or sour
ensilage at viii.
Dr. Voelcker. the eminent chemist
In recent article published in the ,Jonr,
nal of the Royal Agricultural Societr
says: "Some experiments with ensilase
which am now conducting personailv
convince me fully of the necessity If ~
taching the highest Importance to the
regulation of the temperature of One
green proyender in silos. and in due
time hope to give an account of these
experiments, which are now in active
progress.
Mr.. George Fry, of Chopham. Emo
III 1888, filled silo with clover aud sew.
eral kinds of grass mixed, between the
9TH and 3Oth of June, the temperature
recorded at the time of covering being
l32 degrees Fair. six feet from the sur.
face. The silo was then weighted with
twelve inches of sand On July II. and
again on the 18th, the cover was re-
moved, and the silo was filed Will,
enough meadow grass to replenish the
space caused by settling; the tempera-
ture observed at these dates was 14a
degrees, at depth of six feet. An
other silo was filed with similar forage
and at about the same time, and the re-
sulting ensilage from both is said to
have been free from acidity, sweet, and
of an agreeable, fruity odor, much re-
sembling that of good hay, and was
eaten with apparent relish BY cattle,
sheep and horses.
Mr. Fry has repeatedly directed atten.
uon to the Importance of allowing
green food, when placed in silo, to at
tain temperature not lower than 125
degrees, and if possible, $50 degrees.
before applying pressure. BY securing
such high temperature, he claims that
the ensilage passes through process
which he terms s'sweet" or '.haY' fer
mentation, and the result is a sweet in
stead of an acid food. DIR. Voelcker
says that Mr.. Try is the first man who
has made accurate observations BY
pointing out the influence of temper
allure on the production az
the aromatic fruity smell which
grass, clover and similar green produce
acquire when put into silo without any
pressure beyond that exercised by the
mass of ensilaged green food upon the
lower layers. From these observations
of DR.. Voelcker and the experience of
Mr.. Fry, it would appear that the too
rapid exclusion of air, by weighing the
ensilage as soon as it is put into the silo,
prevents the green food from attaining
a temperature of 125 degrees FAIR,
below which, in his opinion, sweet or
hay fermentation does not take place.
but, instead, either Tactic or acetic fer
mentation.
But, whatever the cause of the en-
slage remaining sweet, we are assured
by DIR. Voelcker that it certainly is a
Sact that ensilage showing no more than
trace of acidity, and as sweet and
almost as aromatic as well-made hay,
has been made by Mr.. Fry, and prob
ably can be made by anybody who will
strictly follow the directions given for
making sweet ensilage. This is GER
tainly an important discovery, for il
sweet ensilage can be made as readily
and cheaply as the acid or kraut form.
the greatest objection to this kind Of
food will be removed.
1t is said that most writer's in giving
directions for filing siios, start out with
Liebig's chemical theory of fermenta-
ton, and advise thorough consolida-
ton of the green fodder as it is put in,
the rapid filling of the silo, and the
covering up and weighing at once,
in order to prevent, as far as posi-
BILE, the exposure of the fodder to the
oxygen of the atmosphere, which
is presumed to be the exciting cause Of
fermentation. Pasteur, however, has
shown that oxygen itself is not directly
concerned in the process. but that GER
tain living ferments and germs known
as the bacteria of fermentation are
what modify the character of the en-
silage. 1t would appear, says DIR.
Voeleker, that temperature of about
lbs degrees is sufficiently high to kill
the bacteria which produce acid fer
mentation, and if the bacteria are
killed, and the silo is covered and
weighted, the enclosed mass of green
fodder viii remain sweet and practical
ly preserved, just as fruits, vegetables,
or meats are preserved when canned.
Some experiments, however, made In
this country for the purpose of produ-
cling sweet ensilage after the plan of Mr..
Fry, have shown that temperature OF
125 degrees does not kill bacteria. and
that much greater heat is required;
but there may have been some defectin
the filling of the silo that caused the
failures reported. We are inclined,
however, to believe that some simple
system of producing sweet ensilage will
soon be discovered, even if the one pro.
posed by Mr.. George Fry does not prove
to be all that has been claimed for it,
N. 7. San.