The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-03-25
|. EnSilage for Stock.

|
A REMEDY FOR HARD TIMES-LET OUR FAR,
MEEs PONDER TIE SUGGESTIONS CON.
TANNED HEREIN.
We wish to urge most carefully up
on our farmer friends the importance
OF putting up ensilago every year,
with which to feed their stock. Ex-
perience has proved it to be the best
and cheapest food that can be fed to
cattle, and every farmer ought to use
it. The silos are buildings, formerly
pits, in which the green food (called
ensilago) is kept In order that our
farmers may know how to make their
silos we copy the following letter
written to the Richmond Dispatch by
MIR. q. w. Garrett, of Halifax county,
North Carolina. He relates his own
experience and his letter ought to be
carefully read, and every farmer
ought to build one or more silos. The
following is Mr.. CARROTS letter:
ENFIELD, HALIFAX County, N. c.,
December 3, 1885.
My DEAR Sm:-I am just in receipt
of your favor of the 9th ultimo, in
quiring about my experience with en-
silage. l gladly comply:
l have been cutting up ensilage
and my experience causes me to value
it more and more highly as 1 learn
how to take care Of it more cheaply.
When | built my first silos, in tho
summer of 1880, the idea was that
only those built of cement OF brick,
in the ground, would answer the pur-
pose, and costing at least $5 per ton
to build. Now they are built upon
the top of the ground, entirely of
wood and earth, and at cost Of rs
cents to 81 per ton. These keep the
ensilage as well as those constructed
of cement or brick, and much more
convenient, and involve less labor to
feed from. / have two wood silos,
built in 1881, above ground, and
holding $50 tons, both costing not
more than $125, which are now in
good order and full Of ensilage, and
have been filled every year since they
were built. The contents, without
exception, have been fed in good con
dition. The silos l built in 1880, (of
cement below groundD, held 125 tons,
and cost me about So per ton. These
also have been filed every year since
sometimes twice year-and the
ensilage was not any better preserved
than in those built of wood. Since /
began to make ensilage, in the fall of
1880, I haye fed my horses, mules and
cows almost exclusively on it, and
have yet to see any bad results from
it; on the contrary, have been able
to keep them in much better condi-
ton than before l commenced its use.
In the year 1879 L had nine mules
and horses, and about as many cattle,
and besides the long forage L could
conveniently make on my farm, paid
out over $7O0 for hay, bought by the
carload in Richmond. l am now
feeding fifteen head of horses and
mules and thirty head of cattle, and
pay out nothing for hay, and my
farm is no larger than it was then.
The extra manure L now produce
pays me fully, am persuaded, for
the cost of the ensilage. I use corn
and cow-pea vines exclusively for en-
silage the former 1 use is cheaper;
the latter makes the best ensilage
For the past three years l have
used corn constantly for this purpose,
after it was sufficiently matured to
sustain no injury, when the blades
were ripe enough for fodder. pull
the corn, then cut the stalk down to
the ground-b blades on-haul and cut
them in three-quarter inch lengths,
and pack in the silo; then weight as
usual. This makes very desirable
food; the stock all like it, and have
never seen any bad effects from it,
During tue three years named have
put up 100 per year from this source,
My experience is that land producing
five barrels Of corn to the acre will
make five tons of ensilage, OF u ton to
the barrel. regard the ensilage as
more valuable than the corn, and the
cost of putting it into the silo is less
than seventy-fve cents per ton. [
grow no corn exclusively for ensilage;
most Of it made in the United States
is from corn grown expressly for the
purpose. 1 am Of the opinion that at
the time cut it it is as valuable for
ensilage as at any period Of its growth
hence great saving in making
crop of corn and ensilage-I see that
others are adopting this plan to adj
vantage.
MY areat plant for ensilago is the
ordinary field or cow-pea. Of this l
put up about 200 tons yearly, and it
is greatly preferred by my stock to
that made of corn. This pea crop I
grow chiefly after wheat and OATS I
break the land as soon as the wheat
is taken of, then plant in drills three
feet apart, eight to twelve peas in q