Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-02-04
gFor THE HERALD.
ENSILAGE.

When the profit and loss account Of
farming vie each with the other for
the balance, with the chance of drop
ping in the wrong column, IL is right
that every intelligent farmer, who
possibly can, leave the old, deep worn
rut of doubtful profits and enter that
which assures fair prospect for sue
cess. Stand up and look the problem
of success and defeat square In the
face. High tares, corrupt officials and
moa0pOlies are bad enough indeed !;
yet If we accomplish nothing Ia our
own spheres, and on our own farms, it
is useless to whine about the faults of
others. Years ago 1t was thought
successful stock and diary farm could
only be found, where there was liv-
ing stream of water, but the driven
well, cistern, pond and icchouse, have
exploded that idea. Even SO the FAR
mer whose sole idea is to raise wheat
and corn to place on an already over
in the wrong column. But from
thousands offarmers in no unmistak-
able zones, come the affirmative an
swer of success, from the use of es,sitage
as stock feed, in producing cheap
butter, beef, mutton, &C., along with
the crop of cereals.
The cheapest mode of constructing
silo; the condition, kind and quality
of the food put in, and taken from the
silo; cost per ton of filling, &c; are
all questions of grave importance to
one entering this new field of progress.
Notwithstanding, by the aid of good
ensilage, stock can pass through the
winter with steady gain and do even
better than during the hottest month
of drouth and flies.
Where Is the farmer to be found,
who has not entered the winter with
stock in good growing condition, OILY
to turn again to grass in spring, with
less than when entering, besides his
feed all gone.
For years running account with
the farm showed the margin so close,
that any little misfortune would place
the balance in the wrong column,
caused by consuming during the VIM
ter the profits of summer. To day /
recall the idea gathered from the first
article read on ensilage nine or ten
years ago. But it gave the impulse
and henceforth the study was how to
secure ensilage for my own stock.
To follow plans and specifications IN
#excavating, cementing, building
brick, stone or concrete walls, with
roofing, mean money anil good deal
of it. So to more profitably utilize
some of the storage room already
rooted, / forind silo in one end ofmy
feeding room susceptible of holding
two hundred tons if carried to the
square) with one end and side stone
and rooted covering 9-l0 of the abso-
lutte expense. The other side and end
being boarded up and filled with saw.
dust to exclude the air. The stone
walls are cemented and the other sides
will be lathed and plastered with &C.
ment the coming season, for durabili-
ty. The sole object to be attained is
the exclusion of air ON sides by boards,
paper or cement, and pressure on top
by weights of stone, sand bags or some
patent presses.
Let the size of silo correspond to
number of stock to be fed. Too much
surface exposed will ferment more
rapidly than consumed and results
will not be satisfactory. A better plan
would lie to build large and divide
into two or three pits. Thus preserv-
ing a succulent food for the animal as
far superior to dry fodder, as canned
fruit is to the sun dried for 'uan.
However, the first object should be
to prepare the food for the pit, the
cheapest of which is corn from its
great growth and yield per acre. Pre-
pare the soil as for good corn crop.
Draw the burrows threA and one half
feat apart, and drill some large variety
of corn from four to six inches apart,
and with good culture you may rea-
sonably expect from fifteen to twenty
five tons pei acre. Then in and through
the silo once for all settle the vexed
question of what to do with the large
butts ofcornstalkS forever in the way
until returned TO mother earth.
Already this article has grown too
lengthy, but if desired. wi n the
future add another, on the filling and
feeding value of ensilage. r4
E. S. TABLER.