The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-05-07

Orange Judd Farmer readers. In 1887
1 had $50 tons of hay burned in one of
my barns, and, having large stock to
winter, 1 was at a loss how to carry
them through. I had read extensively
on the sllo question, particularly on
their mode of curing stacked ensllage
in Ireland, in damp climate. 1t was
too late in the season for me to build
sIIo. I had 100 acres of clover seeded
the previous spring, which grew very
rank. In the months of September and
October 1 cut the clover, green as 1t
was, and stacked it at once.
HOW 1T WAS DONE.
We started two mowers, and stacked
as fast as cut, wet and dry. 1t ralned
a part of the time while cutting and
stacking. The stack was 20 feet square
and 80 feet high, built perpendicularly,
with two feet Of straw on top. had
two men on the stack spreading the
grass; had heavy roller weighing a
ton, and eight 2O-feet two-inch planks,
with cleats mai ed one foot from ends
of plank to stop the roller from going
overheard. The roller covered four
planks Sd that four were idle to be
moved in front for change of work,
which was done from end to emo, back
ward and forward. The rolling made
the stack firm, crowding three feet of
grass into one. 1 commenced feeding
from this stack Jan. 1st to horses, mules
and cattle of all ages.
ANIMALS PREFERRED 1T TO HAY
ALI the animals seemed to eat it raw
enously and preferred it to the best
hay. had no waste whatever, with
the ex seption Of six inches on the out 1
side of the stack. Last June cut and
stacked 100 acres of clover perfectly
green, stacked as fast as cut. 1t rained
every other day while stacking; built
my stacks 35x6O feet and twenty feet
high; did not roll at all. There was
about a foot waste on the outside of
stack. One half the rations of all my
stock the past winter and spring up to
the present time consisted of this en-
silage and they never looked as we'll as
at present. I believe from experience
this will be the future clover ensilage
system.
SIZE OF THE STACK
The stack can be made auy size, the
larger the better, and there is no fear
of fire, no danger from dust. The stack
is 50 firm that the hay knife can only
cut two or three inches at time. The
calculation is that four tons of ensilage
will occupy the same space as one ton
of hay. The ensilage as it comes out
of the stack is a dark green color,
packed as solid as plug of tobacco.
Curing ensilage is on the same prin-
ciple as preserving fruits in jar; ex-
clude the air and all is we'll Hundreds
of farmers have called to see my stacks
of ensilage and all have expressed as
tonishment and delight"
The silo stack came from Europe. 1t
has been in use long time in some of
the moist sections where dry curing is
next to impossible. In 1882 Mr.. James
Wood, Mt. Ktsco, N. Y, imported an
English patent silo stack press and pre-
sented it to the State Experiment Sga-
tion at Geneva. On that and the fol
lowing year silo stacks were constructed
at that station. One of these without
pressure kept about as we'll as that
pressed by the patent apparatus. This
was confrmatory to the finding made
previously at that station that weights
we're not essential to protect the silage.
In 1888 trial was made ct Framing
ham, Mass, which was also successful
as reported in American CultiUatOr
Vol. Al, No. 4
In the New York trials on a small
scale the loss was COO great, but mainly
due apparently to the severe weather.
The report of those trials (sevepth an
nual report N. Y. State Agricultural
Experiment Station p. 800 contained
the following:
''Tne silage should be disturbed only
as fast as needed for feeding, since it
changes quite rapidly after being re-
m )ved, and it can scarcely be kept
from freezing if fed from outdoor stack
every day; though rough shelter for
the side from which the silage is being
taken will serve toward overcoming
this objection. This seems to be the
most economic form of preserving silage
where mild weather prevails during
the feeding period, while further trials
NAV prove it to be 80 for colder climates,
espe cIally for corn preserved whole,