The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-05-14
FARM ENsiLAcE.


Cheap and Wholesome Feed Produced at
Noninnl Cost.
Economical methods of producing and
saving of forage crops seem to be always
IA order. There are very many farms
where the hay crop is insufficient to en-
able their owners to keep and properly
care for the number of cows or other
cattle they are DESTROYS of raising. To
this large class the ensilage which may
be readily produced and fed on the
farm. is an important factor among the
products of the farm. These facts are
too well known and appreciated to need
from the writer single word in demon
stration. We will merely say this: There
are many farms in every town we have
ever visited, where the number of cows
kept through the winter months could
easily be doubled or tripled. We know
of farm where the hay crop would not
sustain over three or four cows and as
many horses, where by the judicious
raising of ensilage crops principally
corn) last year thirty head of cattle, in
GLIDING young cattle, were carried
through in fine condition. This year
another silo has been added, and now
over forty head are being kept. About
thirty of these are COWS. These are
facts that carry their own moral with
them. Another farm where ensilage is
fed occurs to me, of smaller dimen-
sions. The farm cuts, on an av-
erage, about sixteen tons of hay.
A visit to this farm recently showed
nine cows, q bull and two horses
in the stables. The silo had some sixty
tons of choice corn ensilage, beside the
usual amount of hay and corn fodder.
Tho hay mows were almost intact, it
bcing fed only to the horses. The cows
were kept exclusively on ensilage, ex-
cept one feed per day of dry cornstalks.
On inquiry, we found that the cows
were doing well and giving a good
quantity of milk. The butter was all
taken at the door at the highest market
prices. And personal examination
demonstrated the fine condition of the
animals in the stables. Having said
thus much relative to the practicability
and disturbances of securing this addi-
ton to the forage crop, which we may
readily avail ourselves of, we will give
a few moments consideration to the
cost of production of good corn ensilage.
We will give the results as obtained
from the party last visited. His silo
will hold one hundred tons, and is
cheaply constructed, but just as good,
for aught We can see, as though it cost
one thousand dollars, 80 far as practical
results are concerned. This farmer
planted two and half acres with
Southern white corn for ensilage. He
had previously planted an acre and
one-fourth with Western Early Dent
corn. This variety yields well, but the
stalks are large, seldom throwing out
any suckers. He first cut the Southern
corn and placed it in the silo, then he
picked the ears from the Dent corn.
throwing them into rows, so as to allow
getting around with the team. Very
many of the ears were SO nearly
ripened that the husks began to get
white and dry. Then the stalks
were cut and put in the silo in the
usual manner. This piece of corn
yielded one hundred and forty bushels
of ears of sound corn, and eight bushels
of unripe corn, or soft corn. The stalks
on this acre and quarter would have
sold for about six dollars. As is well
known the stalks from this variety of
corn are not as valuable as are the
stalks from smaller varieties. Very
many when they harvest it, cut it from
one to two feet from the ground, as the |
butts are useless for fodder, yet when
ensilaged, it is all available. The piece
yielded somewhere near twelve tons of
ensilage. This ensilage, so far as could
be seen, was as good as that from the |
portion from which no grain was har-
vested, causing fully rs large a flow of |
milk, and apparently being eaten with |
all the avidity as that from the corn
planted specially for the purpose of put
ting into the silo. There was and is
some difference in the weight of the |
two lots of ensilage as taken from the |
silo. The Southern corn ensilage being |
less ripe or matured, is heavier by from |
three to five pounds to the basketful fed |
to each animal for feed. We do not |
estimate the cost of production any
more than the value of the stalks for |
feeding purposes, which we have called |
six dollars for the twelve tons, or an |
even half dollar per ton, for the cost of |
the ensilage as it stood in the field. The |
yield of corn was such as to make a fair |
profit for the raising, even though the |
stalks were not taken into the account. |
Now how stands the account for the |
two and one-half acres raised specially |
for ensilage. We would say that farm
yard manure was used for growing it. |
The manure was strewn in the burrows |
and the corn planted by hand. 1t was
hOed three times with horse hoe, and |
hand-weeded once. The yield was
about forty-eight tons, or an average of |
some nineteen tons per acre. 1t was |
thought the cost of growing. including
interest and taxes, did not exceed S1.25 |
per ton. The cost per ton of cutting,
hauling from the field, cutting and put
ting into the silo, was not over Sc for |
the eight to ten tons put in daily, or say |
seventy-five cents per ton; this added to |
the cost of production, $3.50, would
make total cost of 81. per ton, while
adding seventy-five cents per ton for
that portion where the corn was har-
vested, we have a total cost of only 81. 25
per ton, showing saving in this way
Of growing of 81 per ton. tits possible
that we have erred in our figures, if SO
we set the cost too high. We have al
lowed for the use and wear of tools at
the rate of $3.50 per day while cutting
and putting into the silo. A great adj
vantage is the increased amount of
stock kept on the place. tits but little
more for man to do the barn chores
and care for ten cows than it is for haF