The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-03-18
Silos and Eusilage.

Mr.. George E. Silver, q very intelli-
gent member of the Deer Creek Farm.
ers' Club, who, with Mr.. Jauney, visited
Montgomery County and participated in
the proceedings Of the Farmers Con-
vention, gives the Agis the following re-
port of their inspection of Mr.. Charley
Stabler's silos:
Your correspondent and Mr.. John Il.
Janney, of this County, lately visited
Montgomery County, Maryland, where
they saw the silo of Mr.. Stabler and
carefully observed the manner in which
it is built A description of it may be
of use in calling the attention of our
farmers to this new and well-tested
method of increasing the value of farm
products. Silos are no longer an exper.
iment, but have been tried with success
by careful, wide.awake farmers.
Mr.. Stabler having bank barn, pro.
ceeded on one side of this barn to dig
hole or pit in the ground ten feet wide,
sixteen feet long and ten feet deep, close
up against the barn wall. This pit
when dug out was three feet deeper than
the ground floor of his barn. An open
ing was cut through the wall, allowing
communication from the stable to the
silo. This door opened into the silo
three feet above its bottom; an inclined
plane, consisting of earth in the bottom
of the silo, extended from the doorsill
into the silo three or four feet. The
opposite end and two sides Of the silo
were walled up by means Of posts set up
every three or four feet, with boards
nailed horizontally to these posts.
Now we find the silo with stone wall
on one end and boards on the other end
and two sides, and only solid, packed
earth in the bottom. Above the surface
of the ground frame two feet wider
than the silo was placed, being fastened
to posts set in the ground. On this a
frame three feet to the square was built,
the whole being covered with comb
roof of boards. We have now pit ten
feet wide, sixteen feet long, ten feet deep,
and between the sides and end of this
pit and the frame of the building which
covers it shelf two feet wide: on which
is placed the stone necessary to weight
the ensiage down, when the green food
is cut and the silo is full to the top.
Planks one foot wide each, and all ex-
actly one length, ten feet, are put in
place, one close to the other, on top of
the cut fodder or other provender, until
the entire silo is covered, when they are
weighted down by stone. The stone
when put on are about from one foot to
eighteen inches in depth. The ensilage
will settle about eighteen to twenty in.
ches. When wanted for use one plank
at time is removed, the ensilage being
cut down or pulled out by the fork the
entire depth of the soil, before another
plank is removed. The door opening
into the stable from the silo allows easy
access to and from said silo.
The silo visited was about three -fourths
fill at the time of our visit, the other
fourth having been used. The eusilage
was of yellowish color, slightly sour
when first taken out, but by pulling
enough down to feed on, few hours
before wanted, the sourness mostly leaves
it, and it is readily eaten by stock. This
silo was filled with field corn fodder.
With this end in view the corn vas
planted in drills, much thicker in the
row and the rows something closer than
if planted for field crops.
The crop is cultivated as ether field
crops, only not thine'i out. When the
corn is in milky state, and while the
fodder is yet green, it is all cut and
hauled to the silo, where the corn. the
fodder aud all are cut M together into
half inch lengths and deposited in the
,ilo. During all the time it is being
illed it is well tran,ped. The crop is
low secured, and if properly done and
1t the proper time will yield a supply of
nutritious food, surprising that of dry
eed. and is exceedingly valuable when