The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-02-13

Corn put in the silo at glazed point the |
cob is digestible, and there is benefit to |
the hard stalks being sliced.
An experiment in feeding the butts of
corn stalks against the tips. at the Ver- |
mont Exchange Farm, was found to be
much In favor of the lower part of the
stalk. The experiment was made on
milch cows.
Apple pomace ia as good as corn ensi-
lage. In the 200 days of feeding in win
ter one ton OF this feed could be fed |
profitable TO each COW, feeding ten lbs
per day to each COW. Taken fresh from
the mill, press hard into silo or bin, will
not heat much nor ferment. Do not
think it hurts much to freeze. Would
feed in connection with Other feeds
about as follows 10 pounds apple pom
ace, 10 pounds hay, pounds grain, and
what ensilage the COW would eat.
Our silos were filed this year in alter
nate layers of cut and whole ensilage
(cOrn). Whole fodder comes out in the
best shape. No sour smell about. Any
ensllage has some sour taste or acid IN
| it. The corn we used was mostly King
Phillip; all bad ears, and some quite
Iipe. Where whole corn is put in silo
It is the universal verdict that it comes
out in a better condition than the cut.
The ripper The corn is the more starch
and less sugar. Not much difference in
cost of putting in whether whole or cut,
Takes twice as long to get whole corn
out of silo as cut.
! AFTERNOON SESSION.
Mr.. Hickux, member of the Board
from Massachusetts,, read an able paper
on "How to run worn out farm with
profit" He said agriculture was the
first calling, most important calling, and
the mother industry Of the whole cOun-
try, conse quently it is one of which no
one need be ashamed, and every one
should foster. Every farmer should love
his country, love his calliug, or he will
not succeed. The same might be said
of any other calling.
What is worn out farm Are there
no fences? Are the buildings gone
We can raise crops without any of these.
IL means that our land is deficient in
plant food. Our fathers farmed it to
the best advantage they could. They
literally dipped the fertility from the
soil. Why did they do it Look at the
monument in this village. There is one
reason and speaks volumes. l will only
mention this while many others may be
named.
They farmed in the 18th century, and
We in the 19th.
Too many of our farmers are doing
to-day Just as our fathers did, dipping
out the fertility. We must pay back and
supply the plant food that has been
taken from our land. Lands must be
paid back for the elements of plant food
taken by the crop.
Farmers are too apt to measure their
farms by the acre. The should measure
them from their homes to the State cap
itol, and from there TO the National seat
OF Government.
Farmers are to blame for the high
taxes on our farms. They are taxed in
the extreme. The farms in Massachu-
setts do not cut tou of hay per acre,
and in Vermont just ton New Eng
land farmers are farming too much in
compe titIOn with the West. We must
raise what they cannot. Grass is king
IN New England, every farmer knows
that, and still we try TO raise gram.
In the West they can start gong plows,
follow with a seeder and SOW a whole
township in few days, and p ace the
same on our market at price we can
not compete with them. No use in try
ing to compete with the West on gram,
but hay IN Massachusetts is worth SIS
per ton and we can and ought to grow
3 tons per acre. The first three years
run my farm it did not pay expenses.
raised grain; now my whole attention
is turned TO grass, and in the first place,
saving the ferti izsr, built a barn
where it could all be housed, and KEEP
my cows in it. There is no need of max
ing wind breaks for cattle; keep them
in the barn. A COW that is giving a
good flow of milk is getting all the exer
else needed, she wants no yards or wind
breaks.
| To raise an acre of corn we need fer
tilizer enough to raise at least 90 bushels
of corn, This is worth at present price,
we will say, SOC, amounts to $25, and
the stover worth $40 more, making $35.
Now if sown to oats would yield so
bushels per acre '-orth 3Oc, and straw
$40, makes $25 for crop. Same yield il
put into ensilage corn would yield 25
tons, equal in value TO 8 tons of hay
worth $15 per ton is $120; or If in grass
alone would be tons of hay worth $45.
Now which shall we grow? Grain H.
competition with the West, or what
crops are needed by every farmer
My practice Ia to manure for corn
about 90 cords per acre with some phos-
phate. l then SOW to oats using about
200 pounds OF bone meal and potash to
an acre, cutting the oats just as they be.
gin to turn yellow al the bottom aud get
about 8 tons of hay worth at least tons
per acre,
The grass seed is sown with the oats,
and top dressed after the oat hay is tax
en- off.
In answer to question Mr.. Hickox
said, put the oat hay into the cock and
let II 81 and two or three days, open and
draw in. Handle it same as clover. /
have used muck; think il good as an ab-
sorb rbant; use saw dust for bedding. Ny |
mowings are kept wears in grass. Am
wintering 100 head OF cattle on fodder
cut from 65 acres meadow. Am breed.
ing Jersey stock, selling the older cows
and keeping the heifers. The stock bull
at the bead of the herd is II years old.
THURSDAY EVENING SESSION.
Rollin @. Smith Of the board was the
first speaker, his subject being DAIRY
ing" He said daIryIng is the leading
industry in the State. 1t is compare
lively new. A little over quarter of a
century ago we we're sheep.raising and
.growing State and doubt whether
he State will ever be more prosperous
than when we were selling wool for 40
cents pound, and had a good demand
for our sheep. That industry came TO
point where II did not pay; wool went
down. The western demand for sheep
failed and the State embarked into the
dairy industry,
We have rIade very little progress in
the last % years. Every one went into
the business haphszzlrd. Eserything
in the shape of a COW was brought into
the dairy, and to day too many dairy
men have bred just as they bought.
without any thought or care of what the
animal vas to be raised for. Too much
OF our dairy products are manufactured
out Of season.. Too much butter is made
In the summer months. The last week
in August there were shipped to New
York 100000 pounds Of butter, while
the consumption was only 1000, 900
pounds. Just three times as much az
the market demanded. Three million |
pounds had to go into cold storage. The
market demands butter fresh from the |
churn, and that demand is increasing all |
the time. Too much butter is made in
the summer and not euough il. the win
ter. To remedy this evil more cheese |
should be made during the summer
months. While there is Justly a COM
plant made that large proportion of
our butter is Of poor quality, the same
may be said Of cheese. Our reputation
in this State. as a whole, is not what il |
should be Too many skinned cheeses
are put upon the market, and not
anou0h whola milk chaasaa Az tho