The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1890-04-17
FARMERS INSTITUTE.
Continued from last issue. J

County Farmers Institute in
last weeks issue has been read
with interest and profit by
thousands of farmers. We con-
tinue he discussions this week.
The question asked just at
the close of the article was:
explain the making Ensilage
and the structure Of d silO."
Prof. Massey in answering,
said that the key note to sue
cessful farming was stock and
manure. The farmer inthis sec
ton must have stock, more stock
and better stock, he must have
manure, more manure and better
manure. Now the home made
manure, which is best and
cheapest, we cant have without
keeping stock. Then the auas-
tion com es, how can we feedthe
stock so that the food will not
cost more than the manure His
opinion based on experience was
that Ensitdse was the answer.
What is ensilage and how can
We make it? To make corn
ensilaee, We plant corn just as
we usually plant it to raise com,
only late, say in June CT July
In the fall this corn wi have
reached the roasting ear stat
then Tor little later, say about
the time the fodder would do to
pulD cut down the stalk, with
ear and fodder on it, run it
through a feed cutter, ear, stalk,
and fodder all together, and
pack down in your siIo. But
whit is d siio?
The supposed cost Of silo
has been a great draw back to
ensilage. But the necessary
expense is small. The old idea
was that a silo must be all 0
partly cnder ground bricked and
very strong SO as to bear great
pressure. This is all unnecessary.
A silo Iced be nothing more
than frame with the ends Of
the posts in the ground or rest
ing on top Of it, double crossed
ceiled with well jointed planks
inside. II Leeds no floor, but
simply a foot of straw spread on
the ground for a floor. The
cover can eithe rest on the
frame or on four post ont sever
al feet from the frame, as the
cover should extend several feet
over the rame. The ensilage
is poured into this frame-th;s
silo from the top. In packing
in the ensil;tge keep it higher
around the edges of silo than in
the middle SO that the chopped
up ears Of corn will roll into the
middle. When the silo is iuil
cover over the top with a layer
of fine chopped straw No
weighing is necessary. The
steam which rises from the
eusilage will cause the straw
cover ing to mold, thus hermeti-
cally sealing the silo, and MAX
ing it ar tight. In feeding out
the ensilage, take q layer from
the top at each feeding, give
the first layer to the cows and
the next to the hO1se' at each
feeding. Because thai on top
sours 4 little during the day and
the COWS pe:fer it in that state
while horses do lot.
The Professor sad that many
farmers objected to wasting e,
good corn to make ensilage, but
he had cut for ensilage corn
that would have made 10 barrels
to the acre The feeding value
OF a ton Of ensilage is 60 cents
Land that will make 10 barrels
corn will make 20 toas ensllage
wO>th $1,000, while the corn al
50 cents d bu5hel would have
been worth only 5000. so the
els. lage was worth double as
much as The corn.
He said he fed 30 cows &
Month on the products of one
acre i'll ensllage, and the cows
were in full flow of milk. L
would have fed so dry cattle.
He had never seen a man whe
had tried ensilage who would
exchange it ton for ton for ever
clover hay.
Pea ensilage is better thar
corn, but you can't make 81
much.
Col. G@een said Ensilag,
originated with France, and i
now the universal feed Their,
and in Europe.
Prof. Massey said that VIZ
could make ensilage better thar
: the French, for We can hea
. them raising corn.
, Mr.. Henry burlington asked
if CANE could Tot make goot
: ensiiage: Prof Massey said i
, was not 50 good as corn.
Rev. Mr. Stewart asked " hai
+, size a s:lo should be. Prof
Chamberlain said that lie shoult
: calculate how many he hid &c
!. feed. l cubic foot space hold:
:, 40 lbs which is a days feed fol-
a COW, somake its size to CO npar
J. with the number OF animals tC
!, be fed. 1t should be tall am