The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-12-05
OF INTEREST TO
OUR DAIRYMEN
EnSllaae System OF Feeding Proves a
Success 10 ClatsOp County.
HOW TO BUILD A SIL0 VAT
An Interesting Experimental Test Made
by one of clatsop County's Lead
ing Dalrymen.
HOW TO BUILD A sILo VAT

Astoria, December 4.--tEditor Astor-
lan.)--As Astoria In Interested In sup
ply Of milk, butter and cheese nj the
most favorable rates. and Of the best
quality. some OF the readers OF the A.
tor1an may like TO hear how one OF the
dRirymen is managing his feed supply.
There are also many other dairymen
and farmers who are considering the
same thing and the best way 10 get
and put up fodder VIII mean many
dollars and success In business 10 them.
our climate Is very different from
that OF the East. or even In the most
OF Oregon We must ind ways Of pro-
duolng and keeping feed that are natu-
raj TO our own climate and soil. One
OF our leading dairymen believes In put
ting up the feed green. just US cut, into
silos, combining all the advantages. In
the nrst place this is the handiest and
least expensive way Of raising feed.
Any grass will do for ensilage Red
clover ls the best that can be raised
here. Red clover on the hills or up
lands produces ten TO fifteen tons TO
the acre. I, furnishes crops for from
ave 20 ten years without seeding or
cultivation, No root crop can compare.
ton for ton. with clover for ease Of pro-
duction. one acre OF clover should
furnish ensIlage aud pasture for one
milk COW an entire year,
In the next place, grass or clover for
ensllage Is the most easily harvested.
II may be cut at any time. at any stage
OF growth. and In any kind of weather.
Hay must be cured in the dry weather.
aud In this climate is often spoiled.
Root crops here must generally be dug
In the mud Ensilage is cut al any
time, In dew or rain. or Immediately
after rain. and the wetter the better.
Load at once into the wagons and lay
down into the sllo, You have no worry
over the weather or mud.
Then at last. ensilage is the best fod-
der. and is best liked by the animals.
Dairy cows eat II as eagerly as they do
green grass and Increase their milk
much the same as when turned out
10 good pasturage, Every part OF II
is eaten and nothing Is rejected. Even
weeds and ferns and the briar seem to
be rellshed well as any II goes through
process Of softening and something
like cooking in the sllo. which makes It
palatable and dlgestible II is really
better than either grass or hay.
Mr. J. w Reith, OF Lewis and Clark,
the dairyman referred to, has been ex-
perimentlng with ensllage for the past
three years and is fully satisfied that
all OF the above Is true. Lake almost
everyone beginning on a new process,
he has made a number OF mistakes,
but the more he experiments the more
he is pleased His silo was made square.
with four corners and the inside boards,
tongued and grooved. set upright. Both
OF these he tnds serious mistakes.
The preservation Of the ensilage de-
pends upon keeping out the air. The
square corners and the creases Of the
matched lumber. set upright, let the
air down to mildew the silage at the
corners and on the side, The better
way is to make the silo OF slaves and
hoops like large barrel Then there
are no corners or creases, and the silo !
is much like fruit jar and acts on
the same principle.
Another thing to be looked to is to |
make the silo of a size to suit the num-
Der OF cattle to be fed, Mr.. Reith finds
II necessary in this climate, after filling. |
TO shut the cover down tight and weight /
II heavily. After opening the silo the 1
silage must be fed out sufficiently rap /
idly so that Il will not mush while feed |
ing from day to day. He has also |
found that in putting down the grass |
or clover in the summer time, one Is |
likely to have 1t too dry 1t would be [
better to have It sprinkled, The most }
juicy folders keep the best, corn being |
first, clover next. and orchard or velvet |
grass or timothy being less likely to
keep than the others.
Mr.. Reith would be glad to show his /
silo to anyone interested In the SUBJ |
ject and to give them the benefit Of his /
experiments. He would like to see 9th |
ers try ensilage as he thinks that when !
the process is understood and perfected /
1t viii be great thing for the dairy |
men. The following is an extract from /
a dairy paper upon this subject:
According to the agricultural depart
ment at Washington, n compilation Of |
experiments from various experiment |
stations shows the following results;
The Massachusetts station found /
mixed silage of corn and sofa beans /
very fine. Vermont station made a SUI
perlor silage of oats and vetch; also OF /
oats and peas,
Silage produced more milk at the !
Ohio station, more butter at the Penn /
sylvanla station, and more mutton at |
the Michigan station, than beets. Even |
when there is loss of 20 per cent in
the feeding value Of sllage 1t is cheap
er feed than roots The Wisconsin sta
ton preserves silage at loss of only |
S per cent Of its feeding value. The loss I