The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-02-11
Bn6lage in Tennessee.

AS l passed around the feed al
.eys of the barn last night, and
saw them 1.-THE Holsteins) eating |
their ratIons Of ensilage with such
relish, / was reminded of my prom
Use to give you my experience with
siIos and cnsilage.
made my first silo in the fall of
1882 by digging a simple pit in |
the clay IL feet deep, II wide and
20 feet long, using only the clay
fer walls. In filing / used q IL
inch Sinclair cutter run by a two
horse power that had been used on
an old drag saw. 1 used two and
four hose wagon, drawing Indian
corn, in the roasting ear state,
with the former and sorghum with
the latter, making one third corn
and two thirds sorghum. As it
fell into the pit two men leveled it
With pitch forks and pounded it
down with mauls.
| thought at the time it was
very important to fill and close
the pit as rapidly as possible as it
seemed to be in such high state OF.
fermentation after being in the pit
during the night, so we rushed men
and teams, not. stopping for Sep
TENDER rain that fell on US all of the
second day.
At the end of the second day
covered the mass with about six
inches Of wheat stray end laid 8
floor of rough boards the short
way of the pit, covering this with
two feet of clay and Weighing it
down with abont 300 pounds OF
stone to the square yard. When
opened in January it was sound
and all right With the exception
of being slightly acid which / at
tributed atLhe time to the sorghum,
but since to il. and to rapid filing,
not allowing enough heat and
fermentation before excluding the
air.
After this pit was emptied in VI: " 9
, spring the clay walls began to
crumble in from the dry winds.
braoed them by lining the sides and
, ends with 1x6x12 oak fencing. The
same is in use now but will not an
swer for another season.
In 1888 l divided the pit, filing
one part with red clover by passing
it through the cutter as fast as
it fell from the mower. The cattle
were very fond of it but it caused
the milk and butter to taste of
clover; this objection would only
apply to cows in milk. Another
objection to clover Is, not enough
tonnage to the acre and too tedious
to handle and pass through the
cutter.
In September, 1884, the firm OF
L. N. FigueFs d Co. commenced
to fill the same old pit but from
several causes and accidents to the
machinery, six days, were spent and
the pit filed and closed Saturday
, evening, using the straw and boards
but only few inches Of clay with
; usual amount of stone for weight
They expected to find rotten mas:
when opened in the winter, owing
to the unavoidable delay, but i'm
q agine their surprise to find the en-
8 silage bright and sweet, proving
: that it is best to fill slowly and al
), low high state of fermentation
+ before sealing the pit, also that. i
e is only necessary to put on thir
t covering of clay, say about from
$ three to six inches. Last fall We
made Silo No. 2 game size as No. l
3 using the clay Walls for the frs
= season. The two hold little owe
? one hundred tons. For power and
). cutter, We are using a Taylor foul
), horse and No. A 1 Bell City cutter
that will slice the corn into one
i third inch lengths as fast as tw,
men can feed it by the armful a
D the time.
D This. is thel fourth year and VI
d are SO well pleased with ensilag'
e that ne will increase our silos Il
! about $50 tons capacity. This fal
r we will only use the Indian corn
t plant it in May so as TO get thu
t start of the usual summer drouth
D use good strong land and you will
: getsfrom fifteen to twenty five tons
g per acre. IL spite Of the droutl
D last summer we cut twenty tons
7 per acre from a few acres of new
ground, with few more rains il
! would have made twenty FIVE tons
+. We think ensilage can be raised, cut
. and stored for 81 per ton, and tina
7 three tons of it is equal in feeding
r value to one ton OF clover or limo
! thy hay. There is no provoking
losses from summer storms as We
+ have in saving hay.
In feeding it to mich cows in the
winter it keeps up a fine flow o.
milk At the State Agriculture
College of Massachusetts,, they
. proved its feeding value in theil
, dairy to be worth $12.S5 per ton.
We fed it one winter to fifty fat
tening mules, giving them seven
large cotton hamper baskets full
each day. It seemed to have q
fine effect on their appetltes, keep
ing their bowels open and making
their coats glossy. Hogs and
chickens are fond of it, but its
chief market value must Abe as q
cattle feed, and as Middle Tennes-
see is fast becoming a cattle and
dairyiRg district it would be well
fer our farmers TO Investigate the
merits and feeding value of ensi-
lage. II they try it once they will
never quit it. In visiting the great
dairy districts of western New York
in August, 1884, 1 found NEST all
Of the diaries were banking on en- :
silage. Mr.. F. G. Stevens, Utica.
N. Y, showed me q field Of twenty
acres that he had cut and stored
400 tons of ensilage from into TIVE
silos about 200 each.
As the value of ensilage from all
sorts of experiments and tests has
been established beyond = shadow
of doubt, in building a silo, we
would think it best to make the
walla Of concrefa brick or atOna.