The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1888-06-01
The Silo.
unicated.


The Silo.
Communicated.
Mr.. EDIToR;-Tf it is experience
you would like to have almost any OF
US are rich enough in that to afford to
give. "What farmer will take the lead
and invest $3.50 in silo?' Having
fed corn ensilage during two winters to
milk COWS l am able to read your ar
ticle ga great work in short time'
without being unduly enthused by the
possibilities of the silo as there set
forth. My corn was mostly Of the fod-
der kind, i.e. planted thirty inches
each way, six to eight stalks to the hill.
A part was of the regular field corn
crop with large stalks and ears just
glazing. This we'll matured stalks and
corn was so much better than the fod-
der corn that in the future I should
use only we'll developed growth. My
experience with this green corn ensil-
age for milk COWS is much the same as
with corn cake for myself, with liberal
proportion Of milk. eggs, and butter it
is pretty good feed, SO green corn en-
silage with pint of cotton-seed meal,
4 qts. wheat bran and 2 OTIS. oats is a
good feed for milk cows.
"Not silo in all this region" I'm.
less you take very narrow meaning to
the term region you are mistaken. II
you would call at E. H. Haines', near
Pleasant Grove, Pa, you will see silo
as is a silo. Vow would also find very
intelligent farmer who has fed corn
ensilage and quit it. Then if you come
by way of Vinegar Hill and stop at Mr..
Harris you could see what was once
silo used two seasons to ensilage green
corn, now with holes punched in the
cement floor and used for an ice house.
Then call at the dairy farm of the
Messrs. Balderston and hear their ex.
perience with corn ensilage in the years
gone by. Rumiuate the silt question
over aud give us the result arrived at,
which will probably be that the fault is
in the erperimenters rather than the
silo, at which at least one of them will
smile and if you think it worth the
room tell in the next soho should have
silo. j. A. r.
Our correspondents structures were
most thoroughly and, we would say,
triumphantly answered by the article
of Prof. Cook of the Michigan Agricul
tural College, published in the last issue
of the MIDLAND JOURNAL, and we re-
gret that our correspondents article
was not received in time to have ap.
peared in the same issue. His exper.
ience is altogether confined to the early
experimental stages of ensilage, when
worse than useless costly si3os were
constructed in deep pits, walled with
stone and comented, which were filled
with much hurry and expense, with
what came out nearer sauerkraut than
sweet. nutritious ensilage. Now silos
are cheap frame structures. built above
ground, and the ensilage of the. present
day, differs about as widely from the
ensilage which our correspondent was
familiar with, as canned vegetables do
from sauerkraut. The silos he refers
us to and the methods in use in their
time reminds us Of the mowers and
reapers of fo.ty years ago. Similar OBJ,
jections and prophecies were freely
made against the new agricultural ma.
chinery. But who raises such objec-
tion now? l
The fact that in the great dairy
state of Iowa over thousand new silos
were constructed last year BY the dairy.
man, and whenever tried since the art
Of preserving sweet ensilage has been
discovered, no case Of dissatisfaction
is reported, is the best evidence that
the silo like the moving machine has
come to stay, and in the near future
the dairyman who preserves green food
for his stock in winter, will drive his
dry fodder neighbor out of the bust.
ness. The latest reports on ensilage
by men who stand in the front ranks
as farmers and feeders, are that it has
been brought to pretty near the quality