The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1888-06-22
Another sllo Letter From j. A. R

WIit0 JOf tmo DOPCd e"o"e'
Another Sllo Letter From j. A. r.
Mr.. EDIToR;-I have kept my inter.
est in the silo experiment alive and
read many of the contributions of the
enthusiasts TO it literature, and have yet
to learn that the ensilage which they
dub sweet is either more or less than
the same thing mine was, which
was sweet enough to attract the honey
bees to the mouth of the silo much as
an empty sugar hogshead does. do
not wish TO be understood as condem-
ing the silo. agree generally with
Prof. Cook and Major Tins because l
know what they are talking about that
the silo as an adjunct to good barn
located in neighborhood where the
intense or high pressure style of farm
ing can be made to pay is good thing,
if intelligently used. 1 do wish to
enter protest against the teaching Of
the JOURNAL Of that date that the milk
which a field of thickly planted corn
ensilaged and fed to COWS during the
winter would bring the farmer more
clear money than three fields Of corn
husked, shelled and sold as grain
would, is misleading. A field of hick-
y planted corn ensilaged and fed to
milk cows during the winter would not
bring any clear money at all.
If you will read Prof. Cook carefully
you will see that his ensilage is a relish
and condiment, that as an appetizer
and condition mixture, as help to the
COWS digestion it is success. 1t is
cheaper than turnips and has no bad
smell about it, and if made from thick.
ly planted corn this is about all it is.
The one thing essential in silo is
that it must be air tight, whether this
can be more cheaply obtained by the
use of wood or stone and cement de-
pends upon where located. That there
will be any advantage so far as quality
of the preserved ensilage goes no one
claims. Tha: there has been any won
derful new process Of filling silo
learned within the past six years is all
bosh. What has been fully settled is
that the better the cow.feed that goes
into silo the better it will come out,
if properly air.tighted, that silo adds
nothing to the feeding value Of the crop
ensilaged, that it profitably supplants
the old time root, slop and steamed food
COW ration.
Now who should build a silo? Any
one who takes an interest in experiment
tai agriculture and has the money to
spare, or any farmer who looks to his
dairy for his money crop, and wishes to
get the most out of his cows from a
limited amount of land, who has fully
learned the secret of very high manur-
ing and gives his personal attention to
the ever recurring details of caring for
herd of milk cows in winter, should
certainly have silo as an adjunct.
The slip and go easy chap who expects
to get on the ticket next fall or a
posish IN the Custom House at the next
turn of the crank, has no need to
"monkey" with silo. Do you "ketch
cn?" / smile"
j. A. r.
[Our correspondent while unwilling
to admit the progress that has been
made in preserving ensilage, is unable
to disbelieve the mountains oftegtimony
that are looming up in favor Of silage'
Why "misleading" to assert that a field
of corn (planted as ensilaging corn
should be, which is about double the
number of stalks, probably something
more, than corn planted for grain pur-
poses) would bring three times as much
to the farmer as crop of corn for the
ordinary grain purposes2 The Illinois