The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-01-11

the COW is in perfect quiet and rest.
When q cow is excited by a new
mixer, or any disturbance, she will
not give down. the glands won't work.
1t is imperatively necessary that the
COW be treated kindly.
"Feeding is one OF the important
things in dairying, We all understand
that there is nothing like sweet pasture
grass for the dairy COW, and If we could
pasture cows the year round on fresh
May and June grass, dairy ing would be
an easy thing. But our pastures are
going by-they are not what they once
were, and we have 10 supplement the
pasture food even through The summer.
Butter in winter brings higher prices,
and l have made it a study for many
years 10 find out what is best TO feed
for winter dairy ing. Cows in winter,
for butter. making, are fond of ensilage.
The prejudice against ensilage is going
by; and while it does not anall re as
high as some other foods, it furnishes a
succulent ration for the COW. l have
fed glucose, corn meal and %cotton.seed
meal with very good results; but l have
found within the last year that ensllage
is the best. | am cutting my hay
earlier. l plan to get through by the
middle of Julv at the latest, commence
Ing about the 25lh of June. l am rails
ing more ensilage every year, and am
growing more clover than formerly as
l consider it one of the very best crops
for milk, and it leaves the ground in
excellent shape"
Mr.. Vail her invited any one TO ask
him questions, and in reply to a run
ming fire of intern ogatories for the next
halt hour he gave several interesting
points in his W experience as a
%dairyman, and on farming in general.
Professor j. l.. Hills of the State Ex-
perimt nj Station had been announced
to speak at the afternoon session, but
Professor w. w. Cooke took his place
aud occupied a large share of the time
in a practical and scholarly talk on
Z" Ensilage."
Prof, ssor Cooke began by telling
what epsilage is not. He said it is a
subject that is not yet thoroughly un-
derstood, and he hardly knew where it
belongs in Vermont crops. 1t is a new
factor that has come IN, and as yet we
do not know what farms it is bts
adapted to. In the first place there is
not any more feeding value in the silo
than is put into it,. En>ilage stands on
its own merits, and there is no such
thing as manufacturing feeding values.
when ensilage was first introduced it
was thought that there was more feed
ing value in the corn when it came out
of the silo than when il was put in; but
there is no such thing as adding feeding
value to any product by any process
through which it passes. The corn in
the silo be ats, and nothing can heat
without burning up some part IF the
material; that neces sarily means loss
of feeding va'ue, ard just so much as
there is fermentation there is a loss of
feeding value.
Another thing, ensilage is no more
digestitle than the corn of which it is
made. On the other hand, the process
of SLIDING makes the corr plant not as
digestible as it was when the corn went
in. The most digestible part of the
ensilage you do not lose very much of
the plant. The corr is the most di.
g~estible when the knife us it, and
everything that is done TO it afterwards
decrease its digestibility. But if the
silo is rightly constructed, and the corn
is properly packed, tie digeslibility ia
but slightly decreased.
The feeding value of the dry matter
of the ensilage, pound for pound, is nc
greater Than dry corr fodder. This has
beer tried with great care and proved
beyond question. 1t has been trieG
on a large scale, and the truth OF thi.
statemtn nj has been demonstrated foi
butter or beef making. Both have g
high feeding value and both are prac.
tically The same.
Eusilage is not a perfect food. II
will moi do to put cows on this as the
only food; the result of such a course is
disastrous. Those who go into ensi.
lage may just as well understand al
first that it is not q perfect or well.
balanced ration, because it has no,
enough of the muscle or flesh. producing
quallties-what the mich cows mostly
need. You would not think of feeding
cows on nothing but corn meal for this
same reason. Those who are most sue.
cessful in feeding eusilage soon found
the necessity of feeding some grain
with it,. This has been used as an ar.