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

| - sse1is1 down vuR vishin - III
| h ~ vas caoss1y wxtchsd foe som,
dme. md I'll CRACKS covered mp. i
- l3.00o poands o< the green corn
A. It's capacity vas 81 cube fess, tn
enai 50 m7st have weighed about 4
pounds 10 tAecuhic foot. when open,
ID. on the l3eh a Decemher last, tkres
m0nihs after it was flied, the mas
UfAD Vas found 70 be sound and frsGh
and bat slightly changed IN appear.
ence; The ede1 and top alone, 70 the
depeA q "a tncA OF %. beins somewhat
One end only of ths pit vas opened.
The sod vs taken OF from this end
add ths ensiiaes r1moved BY cutting Z
! slice ont vertically downwards. An
axe had 10 b. used for this purpose, %
great rs TIE compression q the mass
After lev hours exposure 10 the air.
alcoholic fermeutsxion ct In. This
t0od was greatly reliahed BY The stock.
The end of the pit Vas left uncovered,
except that . little straw Vas thrown
on top Of The opened section. The en-
si.ags was fed oos during the month
q December, January and February,
remaining SQUAD and unAltfred 70 the
las& The plan pursued the present
season differed somewhat from the one
Just described. Two additional siloe
we're prepared No. (last years silo
being called No. u vas made and filed
IN the following way:
Like No. !, Il vas simply Q pit 10 ft
deep, 10 II wide. and % Il long, dug in
q dry and compact suhsoil. The corn
vas cut Aug. 4 and 81 with sickles and
immediateiy hauled in carts TO the pits,
where il vas dumped, after being
weighed IN IN adjoining scaies-room.
IL vas then passed thr0u b Q No. IL
Sinclair feed-catter driven by . one
horse railway (tread) power. THIS
cutter repeatedly sliced up . CARLOAD
weighing 500 pounds into pieces one
halt inch in length in i've minutes
time. All Tie machinery used ~ s
simple and comparatively inexpensive,
and such - would be useful for many
other farm purposes. The corn fell
from the cutter directly into the pit,
where il vas packed down By heavy
trampling. About 5000 pounds Of
corn we're thus packed away.
The upper part Of the pit was filed
with 5000 pounds Of green clover
treated In the same way; this crop
packing moro closely than corn, and
hence promising Q more perfect pro-
lection from the air. The mass was
earned mp vertic lily three feet above
the surface Of the pit. The pit was
open three days, and the ensiixge had
settled down very much during that
time. The clover was covered with .
few inches Of chaff, boards were placed
tronsversely acr0ss this, and above all
the required weight, about one hun
dred pounds 70 the square foot Of sur
face. This weight was furnished by .
covering OF red clay. Clay generally
weighs about eighty pounds 70 the Gu
bic loot. In few days the mass had
settled down to the surface. A rough
shed gives protection from the wea-
thef. The whole cost Of pitting' the
corn, cutting II down, hauling il 70 e
cutter, slicing it up, packing it away
in the pit. ETC., as before stated, vas
only $11.S for l7.45 tons, (the yield Of
IL experimental plats) or about 6ss4
cents per ton. The cost of pittinx
the clover, where the mower could be
used to cut it down and the horse-rake
to gather it up, was something less.
The sky was overcast during the whole
process, and hence the weather very
favorable. After the lapse Of several
weeks the mass is only an inch or 80
below the surface Of the pit, and it will
settle no more.
As the pit bad q capacity Of 1000
cubic feet, and held but IS 600 pounds
Of corn and clover, and was about full,
and could hold but little more, the pit
ted food or ensilage must have weighed
from "a to IS pounds to the cubic foot.
The old pit, No. l, was filed this year
in the same manner ~ No. 2, after be-
ing enlarged and made # deep, 6 It
wide and # long. Its capacity was
396 cubic #. 1t was filed entirely with
green clover, cut up and packed Gown
like the corn. 1t held Is. 400 pounds.
The settling after the same lapse Of
time il no greater than ia the case of
No. 2. Hence the weight of . cubic
foot Of 'pitted clover q about IS lbs,
the same as that Of corn. A cubic foot
Of the corn put up last year weighed
about 30 lbs. Hence il Is safe TO put
tae weight Of ensilage at from IS to 40
lbs. to the cubic foot. It ID generally
estimated ~ high - so lbs.
Silo or pit No. 8 was ll,5 # deep, 20
II long and 10 Il wide, with . capacity
Of $50 cubic It. 1t was our original
TO cement it within, the ce-
ment to be applied directly to the clay
walls. This method il generally fol.
lowed in the vicinity Of this city in
making ciyterns, and nearly always
with success. But the pressure Of
other work, and more especially the
nature Of the soil, inter
fered with this plan; and the silo is |
merely . pit like the others, but with
one end formed by the brick wall of a |
hillside barn. The cattle are stabbed
in the basement Of this bArn, and q |
door will be cut through the partition
wall 20 as TO allow Of convenient access
10 the pit. 1t was filed in the same
manner Is the two preceding. The
corn was cut Sept. 14th and 18th. The
weather was clear and dry during the
operation, and hence rather unfavora-
Bile; 81 ,53s pounds OF corn were first
put down. For the sake Of experiment
loco lbs. Of common hay, 500 lbs. of
clover ha and 500 lbs. OF straw, were
packed down in alternate layers with
the corn in different portions Of the
silo. The upper part was filed with
5l65 Ito. Of German millet, treated in
the same way as the corn. The millet
Was cut on Sept. 10th. Il was Just out
Of bloom. The filing took four days,
and the mass settled down greatly dur.
ing that time. The pit was not quite
fun. A layer Of about six inches OF
straw was put ON top OF the ensilage;
boards laid abGve this, in the manner
already described, and q, 600 lbs. OF
old brick placed above all, TO give the
desired weight. This weight gave q
pressure Of los pounds to the cable
loot The pit is covered by . simple
shed.
From . carefcl comparison OF the
published results of numerous expert.
ments, have every reason to believe
that corn viii keep a. well in pits dug
in the naked clay as in bricked-up and
and cemented siios, provided the clay
is dry and compact. The chief draw
back to such pits is their liability to
cave in when emptied Of the ensilage
in the spring. II this can be preve ted
BY temporary supports, props. etc,
then my experience and observation,
thus far, is 10 favor OF this kind of siio
the cheapest and the simplest yet
described. A correspondent OF The
Country Gentleman contends that
ensiiage viii keep better in such pits.
y n -