Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-05-19
Ensilage or Southern Sweet Corn.
From the Breeders, (Chicago) eazette. !

mdu0 ny hihi uuTlug Gn0 pdSb UWO years IN
raising ensllage corn, which he says may be
summed up briefly as follows: "First, the
crop of ensilage corn which can be raised
on given quantity of ground is much the
most valuable for nearly all feeding purpo-
ses of any crop now known to me. Second,
this crop ito be the most valuable must be
planted early SO as to grow good ears, and
not be planted too thick. Third, it should
never be planted on very sandy or gravel
soil, but on rich, retentive soil, to prevent
injury from drought and to insure long
season of growth as the corn ears and ma
lures late. l have planted it in various
ways and have obtained the best results
from planting one kernel every eight inches,
in rows the. ordinary distance apart, and
cultiyatipg one way as long it can be work
ed TO plant in this way requires about 13
quarts of seed per acre. Fourth, it should
never be sown broadcast or drilled in double
rows so as to prevent cultivating, as when
sown thick or drilled in double rows there
will be few ears on the stalks and the fod-
der will be watery and trashy and of little
value, compared with strong, vigorous corn
planted so as to admit of plenty of sunlight,
and to make a large growth of coru on the
stalks.
l have found that when planted in rows
every eight inches in the row that l obtain
ed a strong, vigorous growth of stalk, and
nearly every stalk had on it good ear of
corn and in feeding it produced far better
results in milk and flesh, than corn plant
ed so thick that it would not ear, or so late
that it could not ear.
A piece of seven acres, carefully measur-
ed, raised on my east farm last year fed an
average offorty animals twice day for 1876
days, and produced from careful estimate
twelve to fourteen tons per acre, and nearly
every stalk had on it a good ear of corn.
My plan for the present year is to raise
on both farms 100 acres of corn, and intend
to plant ten acres of mammoth sweet corn
for my early feeding, as this corn ears ear
lier than the inselage corn; and thirty acres
of ensilage corn to feed up to the middle of
December, and have in enough to feed
during the last half of March and April fol-
lowing. The ears of the ensilage corn re.
main soft like other sweet corn and will
freeze hard in midwinter ; so would not
recommend feeding it in very cold weather.
Do not be afraid of planting too much of
itas everything will eat it and like it and but
little hay is required while feeding it and
the amount of insilage which can be raised
on an acre of good ground will equal in
three to five acres of ground
Mr.. Patrick is one of the progressive and
enterprising farmers of Northern Illinois,
and his experiments will be of benefit to his
brother farmers. He does not jumpat con-
clusions, but reaches them by system. He
keeps accurate accounts with his farms, as
a merchant or banker does with his custo
mers. and therefore knows whether he is
following a system that is profitable in
dollars and cents. From what other farm
ers say of ensilage he does not put too high
an estimate on its value when he says
'The amount Of ensilage which can be
raised on an acre ofgood ground will equal
III value the average amount of hay raised
on three to five acres Of ground" He has
tested its feeling value for milch cows and
beef, and Knows whereof he speaks. If
there were more farmers like him in the
country Ghere would be fewer mortgages and
less interest paid by farmers But there
has been a marked improvement in the
Management of farms in the West of late,
aid 1 apprehend that it is because farmers
are beginning to mix more brains with their
work.
His manner of planting and cultivating
may not be new, but it may be an incentive
to others to follow the idea he advances. Care
full cultivation will ordinarily bring good
crop, and he strongly urges this feature on
the farmers. In a dairy convention not long
ago Mr.. Patrick said: II keep careful
account of all the outgoes and incomes of
my farms, Just as careful as / would bank
account, and on the whole l make my farms
pay something-that is pay fair interest.
1t runs all the way from three to ten per Ct,
but will say do not think l could now
make any money on the farms in farming
them the way many farmers do. On small
farm of 1859 acres l have seventy head of
cattle, and my gross profits on that farm for
1884 were So, 763. OF course did not raise
all on the farm that the animals ate. We
had an average of thirty-five COWS, and on
the milk of those COWS l averaged $54 and
some cents each, taken to the factory and
made up into butter and cheese that is
what my 169 acres did. That land paid me
for 1884 two cents less than So per acre
above all expenses. 1t cost me about $53
per acre, that is the land and the improve
ments; | suppose it is now worth $50 per
acre !; l did not reckon any advance on the
land. For 1885 the receipts will be about the
same and my expenses will be less think
the net pl ofits for 1885 will be between Sc
and 81 per acre. On my large farm I can
not do as we'll. In the firstJ place there
five men there as profitably as can work 2
men on the other farm. | have been try
ing to solve the question for some time why
l cannot make it pay as we'll, and l think
that is the principal thing. I can work two
men along and accomplish a great deal
moro than I can the five men together
they will take better care of forty cows
than the others will ofeighty the last farm
is 460 acres. will say right here do not
believe there are 160 acres of land in this
country but what may in five years be
made to produce from so to 100 per cent
more than they now produce if you take
hold with determination to do it. In the
one matter of cutting the corn l think there
is great saving. A man who does not cut
his corn. down in our neighborhoed, is not
called very good farmer nowadays. If
he kept twenty five COWS before he cut up
his corn, he can keep thirty-fve now. We
are studying up this thing to see how much
stock we can keep on our farms and at the
same time we want TO improve not only our
land, but our buildings. For instance, in
the way the old-fashioned barns, were
built the good to certain extent is washed
ont the manure by its lying out in the barn.
ysrd. Every farmer who builds barn
now builds it so he can drive straight up
through it, and he takes every shovelfull
right from there to the field every day; you
can manure fifteen acres now year where
you could ten before. 1t is in the consider
alton of such things as that that you can
make farm pay. We have got to make
our farms produce more hay, more grass,
more money.
That speech set good many farmers to
thinking, and | presume it will have good
effect on those who heard it, and perhaps
those who read it will try to follow his ad
vice, and especially about the drawing ma
nure from the barn to the field daily. 1t will
pay others to do so as it has paid him.
r. P. MEG.
Citizen-Just think of the deception prac-
ticed every day. Why, it's dreadful. Now,
if you could make one hundred and fifty