Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1890-10-04
s,Lo SUGGESTIONS.
Prof. snnborn Discusses SOsne AneefeesA
Ing Points on Putting Down Silage. "

Prof. snnborn Discusses SOune 1neoreeeA
Ing Points on Putting Down Snage.
The public seems to have settled into
the conviction that silage does not nee@
weighing and that welimatured 100.
der-corn is better than green fodder.
have not a particle OF doubt that poSn
the weight and the quality Of corn. and
of most. il not all, cattle foods increase
on the one hand and improve on the
other.
Some ten wears ago / carried on exc
periments with early and later cut hay,
or hay cut in bloom and hay cut after
the seed had formed. These trials con.
tinued for four years. Their result was
such that strongly affirmed that nay
cut at the time of bloom neither weighed
as much as hay cut at seed formation
nor was as nutritious-pOund against
pound. have found no one OF acknOwl.
edged scientific authority in agriculture
who will admit this latter cutting OF
timothy to be the best practice, yet the
time is near by when this truth Will
have to be accepted. Every scrap OF
evidence that has been accumulated
since that time bearing directly on the
subject confirms the claim then made
by me. There will be more pounds Of
valuable nutrition grows- per acre in
fodder-corn when planted SO that matur'
ity can be approximated than in any
other way.
But this means that fodder-corn at its
best must be cut after it has begun to
dry, for in the ripening stage the water
of plant decreases in its percentage
amount. This decrease of the relative
amount of water in a plant begins ap-
proximately at bloom, or water decreas-
es in the corn plant long before 1t Is AZ
| it's best for cutting for maximum food
per acre. The result of the decrease OF
! water in the plant is necessarily the in.
crease of air in it, FOR if the cells are In
any measure emptied of water air must
fill it's place. 1 hold. therefore, that
the ripper fodder cut for the silo OF to-
| day carries into it moro air. The enece
of this increased air taken into the s1Ic
| l suppose must be an increased fermen.
tation in the silo and consequent loss Q1-
| material
The amount of air taken into the silo
| in the pores cf-late cut corn-fodder will
not be the only mischief of this lateI
cutting; the fodder will not weigh a.
much, and will therefore lay up lighter
in the silo and leave larger air spaces
around each cut piece. AS exclusion OF
| air is the central idea involved in the
| silo it would seem to me that the syS.
tenn of later cutting of silage now adopt
| ed rather increases the need OF weight
ing than decreases it. The presence OF
| air in the silo means more than fermen'
tation; it means direct oxydation or slow
burning of the fodder until the oxygen
l inclosed is used up, and the mora inA
closed the more burning
1t seems to me that the lighter stl.
age now made needs weigh ting, and that
weigh ting will be followed by better
preservation and better silago. Wheth.
er the benefits will equal the cost Will
! be matter to be settled by accurate
trials. We know this-that where dry
ing is carried one step further fodder.
corn does not keep unless well dried; or
half-dried fodder does not, as under.
stand it, keep well in the presence OF ali
unless we'll compacted-
Again, as the keeping of silage de-
pends on air exclusion, it also seems
clear that the so-called cheap silos are
snare and a delusion so far as the m ate<
rials on the sides of a silo are concerned.
Cut fed a@,,.-es>r.. -siit.-ot,viousiy, present
moro air spaces next to the wall than
in the interior on the same principle
that wood-pile, shot, or other solid
bodies will, whom resting against the
sides of solid body, present relatively
more space on their exterior than on
their interior sides. There will there'
fore be little more loss of weight by
heating against the walls unless more
solidly compressed.
If the material forming the sides Of
silo allow air to pass through them, az
some materials will, and especially por-
Gus rock, the rotting will be greater.
In case. however, any air is allowed &C.
cess in currents as in a bound silo with
leaks in it, the loss will be great, as tho
air warmed by the heating silage will
become warmer and riso along the sides
of the silo in slow currents If the out.
side of the silo by double boarding and
by lining with paper shuts off air move<
ment to the interior of the walls of the
silo and then the inside of the sile
studding is again as tightly lined, SC
that a literal dead-air space is formed.
rotting of silage against the walls Will
be reduced to tho minimum.-Brceder
Gazette. 11l
How to Cut Up Hogs.
tnp bar ,vOr1y rf ont