Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-10-16

Which Fodder Lasted the Longest?
The figures just given of the compare
tive yields are open to the objection that
different quantities of the %nonexperi-
mental fodder the clover rowen and the
grain) would nave been fed to produce
them. There is another method Of COM
parison which is not open to this obiec-
ton. It was noticed in feeding the crops
from three fields that in each field the
corn slower gave out first, and that there
was always more of the whole ensilage
left than either of the other portions. In
other words, the whole ensilage lasted
the longest, and each of the others will
be compared with it. If the corr stover
had been fed until it was all eaten up,
and the whole ensilage had been fed the
same number of days, the butter pro-
duced by the two feeds would have been
exactly the same, but there would have
been q great deal of the ensilage left,
enough to have contained 1877 pounds
of dry matter, or 26 per cent of the en-
tire amount Of the dry matter in the en-
si1age.
1t is evident, then, that the whole en-
silage has lasted SO much longer than
the corn slower, that the same results
would be obtained by planting less land
if the crop is to be fed as ensilage than
would be required if the crop is to be
handled as corn slower. In other words,
one acre Of corn made into whole ensi-
lage yielded just as much return as 1.26
acres made into corn slower. Calculat-
ing in the same way for the other meth
DDS, it is found that an acre of whole
ON Gil oa &c on1zix-oIant n 4 10 oa~ac af
corn fodder, or 1926 of slower ensilage.
The above is the comparison on the basis
Of the production of equal quantities of
butter. IF the comparison were made
of equal products of milk, the relative
advantage of the whole ensilage would
in each case be slightly increased.
The Effect of Drying and Grinding on Di-
gestibility.
A comparison of the records from the
whole ensilage and the slower ensilage
shows hat the ears and husks of the
whole ensilage in the silo lost but 10 per
cent Of their dry matter, while the ears
and husks of the stover ensilage, lying
out on the ground in the wet weather
and afterward brought to the barn, lost
% per cent. The COWS ON the slower en-
silage ate more dry matter both of stalks
and ears than those on the whole ensi-
and gave w less milk. As there
is no reason to believe that the stalks of
one ensilage were any different from
those of the other. it follows logically
the dry matter in the ears and husks
that had been dried and ground was of
value-that is, less digestible value
than that of the ears and husks of the
ensilage. The same conclusion is
reached with wen stronger probability
from a comparison of the yields from the
fodder and corn stoyer, which diff
fered only in the corr Of one being
ground and the other fed whole.
Relative Cost of the Four Methods.
The labor required in feeding was
largely in favor of the ensilage as com
pared with the whole corr fodder. How
much stronger, then, is the comparison
between whole ensilage and either of the
methods in which the corn was harvest
ed and ground. Leaving out of account
The bad effects Of the drying and grind
ng, there is still a complete loss of all
he labor and expense of the extra work.
The cost OF harvesting and grinding the
corn In this state will be about 16 cents
per each bushel of sc pounds of corn
neal, not counting the labor or expense
# carrying to the mill. This is more
han a quarter of the total value of the
neal and, according to the results Of
hese experiments, is labor and money
worse than wasted.
w. w, Cooke. Director.