Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1888-04-01

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ne better. This he's been practi,ed 4
some extent IN England. In Germany
ne saw the pits a beet pulp preserved
iof many months after removal from
ne factory, snd Il the Alvassdo tCal. !
iacsory great body vas preserved
simply By The crust that had formed
upon he outside By the action Of the
suns hest We shall mot hesitate, in
TIE event Of our incoming crop be;ns
TOO large for the capacity of the silos,
TO stack . portion. taking the precau.
non to cover from the rain either BY
lumber or earth. - with . potato nit,
me latter covering probably being the
best
wHAr TEE FksIRIE FAanKR SAYS.
The Prairie Farmer says edisorially
OF the siio' and " enalage:'
To very many farmers, and other
people - vel. the terms " siio" and
| ensuage are Is uninteiliKible Is
oreek. Iheoe words are Of French
ongln, but they have been adopted in
| me Engiish language. What cans and
oofues and the vast amount of fruits.
neaeS, Vegetables, etc, nov preserved
M them are 10 the human family, silos
ano enstsage are TO nearly Ill kinds OF
oomestic sutmais. The silO Is the can
or bottle, or rather the pit or c,siern.
OF the storage box or place ia which
various forage or fodder plants are pre-
served In . moist, green state. Ensil-
age meSls the material put into and
preserved IN the silo. (En or in-silaer
Is the stuff In the silo.l The word Is
nov often abbreviated to simply . sill
age, and Is used both - q noun and
yero-the doing and the thing done.
In orief, II may be said that il has nov
become practicable 10 cut corn, miiiet.
clover and the various grasses while
sun green enough to be . very relisha-
Ole food Tor animals, and store them in
moist but sound and sweet condition
Tor winter and spring and summer use,
ana Tor one or more years. 1t Is
Claimed, both from theory and from
ABUNDANT experience, that these plants
mus preserved are much better for
feeding than when kept BY the old
process OF curing dry; that more of
tneir nutrit Gus portions are digested;
ana that they are more easily di-
gested.
The method, as at first and for long
time practiced, has recently undergone
some great improvements, which rem.
Der the operation far more simple and
do away with most Of the former OBJ
lecfions. For example, in the earlier
practice corn was sown broadcast ami
gathered in very immature condition,
% that the sliced material or ensilave
was . mass OF green fermented stud.
supplying only = comparatively small
amount Of solid, nourishing, healthful
food. Now the corn is planted in hills
or drills and allowed to half mature its
ears, 80 that it contains much more OF
nutritive elements, both in the entire
stalks and leaves and in the corn it.
self, In an unhardened condition.
When thus preserved in silos il under
goes very little change; while in the
former methods it was . mere fe :.
mented mass. often sour and repul-
sive. Again, while until recently il
was supposed to be necessary TO D e
pare expensive, deep, underground
pits or cellars, walled in with solid ma
s0nry, or an equivalent in hard-packed
earth walls, now simple bins above
ground, such as can be readily pre-
pared by any small farmer, are found
TO answer ev, ~ purpose.
Following this, Prof. Henry Z. Al
word, OF the Massachusetts, Agricul-
turai College. writes for the same num-
Der Of the Farmer:
For seven years have studied ensil-
age. practically and experimentally;
have stored and fed it by the ton to ali
classes Of domestic animals; have pre-
served eight or ten different fodd, r
plants in silos, comparing their feeding
qualities; o d have treated ensilage in
various ways. As the result Of this
personal experience, and much obser-
walton and inquiry as 10 the experience
of others with silOs and ensilage, VEN
ture to contribute the following con.
illusions TO the Ensilage Number Of the
Prairie Farmer:
l. Slos may be made with any of the
usual building materials, and some
very crudely and cheaply constructed
have been found to do good service.
The system may thus be tried with
little expense, but for permanent use
. substantially built silo is true econ
omy,
2. Silos may be above ground or un-
derground, or partly both; they should
be water-tight and ii tight, and pref
srably froet-pro0f, but this last point is
not essential.
5. The situation, form and oonstruc-
ton OF the silo, and the arrangements
for filling, covering, weighing and
emptying. should be mainly governed
by local conditions.
4. Several small silos, independent or
connecting, are better than one large
one, aud the depth should be consider
ably greater than the length. width or |
diameter.
8. Allow IS to 20 cubic feet for every
ton OF ensiIage wanted. Silos can be |
built costing ,nywhere from ten cents
to ten dollars for every ton Of ensilage
they will hold; substantial silo. to last,
should not cost over two dollars per
ton capacity.
6. Silos may be filed slowly or qui lick.
ly, in all weAthers, the forage plants
cut, or pitted whole; and the cover
may be heavily weighted, or no;
weighted at all. The ensilage pro-
o0Ccu VIII NoI9 ia CVuulblO0 Anu quar-
ity, but these carnations OF manag,
ment do not very materially affect the
result.
I. Any plant or vegetable product
good for cattle food when green or
fresh may be preserved as ensilage in
an edible and succulent condition
throughout the year, and for several
years.
s. The best time at which to cut any
growing plant. to make good ensilage,
!, is when the plant approaches matur-
ity, and Is beginning to dry or de-
crease In the percentage Of water IL
contains.
8. The cost of preserving q given
crop Is ensilage. II it Is cut up and well
stored, does not materially differ from
curing the same crop by drying, in q
suitable season. In some seasons dry
ing is undoubtedly cheaper and quick
err. ON the other hand, crops can be
preserved in the silo in seasons when
they would be lost If drying was at
tempted.
10. All things considered, corr makes
| the most economical and Satisfactory
ensilags in most parts OF the United
States. 1t will prod ce more tons OF
food 70 the acre than can be got in any
other form, and grow on land that viii