Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1889-01-15
The ECONOMY of silage.


The winter months ATE favorable time
- study The great proolems connected
With farm economy. Notwithstanding all
that has been said All written on the sub.
CT Of susllsge a. q stock fodder, there
still are some Who are calling fot informa.
tlon upon the matter. Possibly this call
nay emaaate from TIE .appo,llloa ths,
practice Il establishing new facts which
lsfmsTs generally are not ye, Informed on.
But this II not really The case. The only
importsn, matter more recently brought
Oat. l. that more attention 10 the qasllty
% ths fodder product iniended for ths sllo
should b. given. The best authOf!uss 10.
lay rrcommeud the planting OF . variety
Of corn fOf the sllo. which will perfect IL
growth and furnish large Development
of fall grown ears 10 60 With the fodder
parts Tue feeding yAlae of such ensilAge
10 TAR greatsr than the rsuk. Immature
growth formerly considered desirable.
for the hensfg of those Considering the
economy of the sllo IN the kceplug Of farm
stock. the following very candid comma
uicstion of Proi SasldOu OF TIE ksnfa.
agricultural college, - the lniastriAllst Il
given, - = fair statement Of The sppfeei'
alton OF the sllo Al The present time
The question OF TIE value OF cnsilsge,
and The system OF preserving green fodder
ln air light vaults called silos has been
tie subject OF spirited controversy since
The irsg employment OF The method In ihi.
coGntry dozen years ago. The aiso-
Gates % the system. 10 must be admitted.
have oflsn made The most txtravasant
claims for The sllo. To them 10 Was not
merely . convenient method oi storing
sod preserving green fodder; BY them The
sllo wAs maize 10 possess certain superior,
oecah qualities, by virise OF Which The
hAssr elements OF vegetation uefe trans
mated into The pare gold oiA perfect cat
ne food.
The ofen Wild claims OF The champions
% snsilAgc fJr their fsyorltc method have
provoked corresponding vshsmen, op
position 20 the system. Nevertheless,
ths progress of he sllo has been The AZ.
riculiurAl event % the decade. for ever
lilo that has been abandoned . hubircd
have been Constructed; to-day thousands
10 farmers who, ten years ago. had never
heard % sllo, now own silos, AID Arc
using them With pfons, and 10 ,Aslr entire !
satisfaction.
Bfushlng aside al oi The eIirayagInccs |
% statement that The advocates VI new
measures OF every sort NJ pretty certAln /
% iuiulEc in. 10 yet remains true that The /
.llo. wherever lBdlau corn can b. gfosn, |
has proved iis great worth with that con.
stantly growing class of farmers Who ssu' |
mate caftfolly The cost % every operation.
The sup,hoi farmer. be who "roughs"
hls cattle through any way. 10 stak iilis /
a1i The "iimocr." il not likely 10 favor /
the more snPcn.lve methods OF The sllo.
We Aru not of those Who believe that /
he sil1 can Al Anything % the yAlus of /
slAge. Ga the contrary the /
process % fefmsniaiion IL necessarily q
sa.tsfal ons. oui ihis seems clear % us /
thA, thls waste of tae sll1 Il nex. ~ u0ih.
iug compared with the loss slsialsci by |
TIE comm0uer method oi handling forage. /
For example. Nc have fOani. as result |
o' careful art on repeated tests. that cat.
tle will vastc-rsiuse 20 eat-sl TIE way 1
from tsenty to sixty per cent OF common /
corn fodder. when cut In hAlflueh lengths
AT fci iu q manggr. Good ensliage on /
the contrAry wastes nett % nothing i
Toe Y iits uniform rvp0ft OF those having \
10 charge The college herd has been that
the uusAtsn portions OF ,nsllAgc, coarse
Quits. etc. leii daily by herd OF n'ly cat.
tle. when ou full allowance, cOuld b. car.
rlui in . bali. bashel measure. Thls pfac-
ucAl uuiif ltlon of al TIE feed recovered
tom the sllo u an Afgum~ni forihe system
oi ensll.gs not likely - be oVsr.estimaisd
The stock objection - the use oi the
sllo h The great cost OF nlllng Thn the
sxp.usivsuess of tbe opsrsti0n II greatly
oyrr.ssiimstsd by ireipefieneed Persons
se have 10 d0abt The fact l., nling
sl,o L. no;hlng llkc a. scfiou, "a OccupA
tion a. iarvshlng OF even husklng, on 80
oiilnary farm. In c.libg The sll0 We sim
ply ar compelled % DO large am)nnt Of
wofk within qllte limited time. Con.
siisrlng thai ln r llng the sllO. We, Ia
4 q. Gu. up the cora. shock u, husk The
ears. stack TIE foiifr. cut IL int0 suitable
ieugihs for feeding. and grind the grsln,
''c0o ard al. The silO route ID The cheap
.si one that corn cAn take between The
d ~ sni the animAs' mouths. We, duf-
lug TIE past season nllci 80 - ION silO a.
an actual cost OF fraction less than slt.
~ tatce cents per iOu.
Olc fact Il better than q thousand iheo'
Fies, ani We haye In mind fact vhieh % |
as 4. argumeni enoagh. We have iasi |
G llshei fcyiing the contents OF small /
silO having = capacity Of thirty Eve t0ns. /
A. the rate A. which this sllsge has been |
our crop OF silsge. obtained /
ron less than uine acrrs OF grouni, will /
carry = herd % nty cattle, OF which ouly /
. small num1er are uaier one year, from /
o .tOoer IS until March !, without grAin, |
except 10 . limited namDer of cases, Ani /
without bay or proyenier OF any kiut, ex. |
eTpi light midday feed OF stalks OF other |
rough fodder FED In The yard Maine |
Farmer.