Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1885-03-07

James AToin, Mores Anderson,
James w. Butts, Laura Cunningham,
Patrick Cronan, George brewer, Miss
Ellen Edmonds, Patrick Harley, Bette
Johnson. janet jones, Laura A. MYERS,
Marshall Payne, Lizzie Stanley, ~ HI.
l.. Tyler, Sammy Walkor. Held for
better directions, Mes. Lula 4. Boteler,
Carroll, Co., Md. Calvin Castel, ALLIE
gheny, Co., Md.
Inspection of siiOs in Keyser.
A very pleasant company met at
the home of Hon. T. r. Carskadon.
recently. in response to an invitation
to be present at an inspection of his
silos. Though the day was cold, the
pleasant parlors were cheerful with
blazing open fires, radiating heat and
comfort to every part of the room.
An hour or two was passed in social
chat and then came the request.
Gentlemen, please walk out to din
ner" Everybody at once accepted
the invitation, and no one, we think,
was disappointed. For variety, excel
lence of material and delicate and
toothsome cookery, it was dinner
hard to excel.
The dinner over, and slaves of the
weed satisfied, the party adjourned
to the splendid barn, to inspect the
silos. These are three in number
They are about eighteen feet square,
and twenty feet deep, occupying the
bay on the west side of the barn.
One Of them has been emptied and
filled with ice. for summer use a Sc
cond is about half emptied, and the
third has not been opened. We de-
scended into the half emptied one, land
stood on the surface of the ensilage.
At depth of ten to twelve inches the
temperature was found to be sixty
five to seventy degrees, steam rising
f eely from fork-full of it exposed
to the air. 1t has a mild sub acid
smell and taste, not at all disagreed
BILE. We were shown lot of calves
which had been kept exclusively up
on it. They were plump and seemed
to be thriving excellently, as did also
the sheep, which had in addition
daily feed of hay. All the animals
seemed to eat it with avidity. From
its great cheapness, as compared with
any other feed, it seems to us that it
ought speedily to come into general
use. The silo as proposed by Mr..
Carskadon is so cheaply and easily
constructed as to be within the means
of poorer class of farmers, and we are
sure that if farmers and stock grow
ers will adopt it, and with it the Gus
tom Of sheltering their stock, their
profits will be greatly increased and
their losses quite as greatly diminished
About this subject we shall have
more to say in the near future.
OF the editors of the State, large
number of whom were invited, only
very few were present. Mr.. Hart, of
the Wheeling JnteUigencer, was on
hand, manifesting much interest in
the matter In his paper he devotes
two columns to this affair, and the
subject OF the many other editors
invited we are sorry that SO few re-
sponded to the polite invitation of
Mr.. Carskadon. We regret this on
more than one account. We believe
the visit would have been of value to
their agricultural readers. The far
mers of the State will be benefited
by the discussion of new ideas, and
the introduction of new methods.
in the matter of shelter to stock and
of cheap and wholesome food for them,
reform is evidently much needed, and
the country newspapers ought to adj
vocate it. To this humanity and self
interest alike urge.
The value of the Silo is no longer
a debatable question. 1t has passed
the experimental stage and may be
regarded among the proved and a.
dopted appliances of the farm. An
acre of good land will produce TWEEN
ty tons of ensilage. Every ton of this
is worth from one-third to one-half q
ION of good hay. Putting it at the
lowest ratio, an acre of ground will
p-oduce value of ensilage equivalent
to about seven tons of good hay.
The cost of ensilage is from two to
two and half dollars per ton. 1t