The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-27

ABOUT THE FARM |
1t All Ends With the silo.

The problem of feed has had much expert
mentation, and so far but one satisfactory
solution. From the straw stack to the silo
the whole gamut has been run, roots, ground
feed, cut feed, corn on the cob and hay in
the Manager, oil cake and distillery slops In
preparation of food we have had the cutter
and lately the shredder, while the common
grain thresher has been used to thresh the
corn. But after all results are summed up
the conclusion is forced home that as all
roads led to Rome, so all experiments lead
to the silo.
convert is a correspondent of the Rural
New Yorker, and as, aside from his convers-
ion, his experience was an unusual one, but
liable to happen in a season of early frosts,
we give his account:
Last year we had heavy freeze, and much
corn was nearly ruined. The stalks were
black, and the leaves were slippery on corn
grown on low ground. Such foliage if cut
and shocked in the ordinary manner, would
spoil. The stocks only would be left, and
they would be woody, unpalatable and wasted.
1t was my first year, and I was assured by
every one that In three weeks 1t would be
nothing but a manure heap. This badly
frozen corn was put in the bottom of the
silo, and made about ten feet in depth. on
top of this was some good field corn well
cared, and last, some eight feet Of late-sowed,
immature dent corn, just in tassel AS this
was frosted too, the most of the ensilage
was pretty poor lot OF roughage before it
went in.
The silo is 13x14 feet, and after settling for
four weeks, the ensilage was IA feet deep.
l fed eight cows from Nov. 1 to March 25
and not particle was left in the managers;
they did not need cleaning but once in that
time. For a long time no other coarse food
was given, and did not feed a ton of hay
or straw in the whole time. have enough
hay now to sell to pay twice for the silo, or
enough to buy the whole outft-cutter, car
rier and silo.
By this method of covering, feeding and
filling, there was not a bushel-basketful of
waste. The cows began to improve in ap-
pearance and milk yield at once. Being kept
in warm barn continuously, and gaining in
flesh, they shed their hair early, and were
as smooth In hair a race horse in March
They were MIXED eleven months and gave
larger messes of milk than ever before When
the enstlage was gone, the amount of milk
potatoes, oil meal and clover hay. Just why
rather poor corn fodder will produce such
good results, after being cooked tender in a
silo, can no more tell than why two quarts
OF Strawberries (mostly water) per day give
me more ability to work than baked beans
There is a saying that from nothing moth
ing comes Yet know that we have more
butter, stock In better condition and win
tered at smaller cost, than ever before, from
a quality of corn that, ordinarily, would be
almost worthless. 1t does not seem reason
able
1 did not believe half that had been said
and printed In favor of ensilage, when |
built my silo. l see now that more ground
must be planted to corn and less to grass;
that more stock can be kept, as much by
reason OF change of crops, perhaps as from
the silo, and that 1 cannot afford to grow
root crops for cattle. / would not sell the
silo for any reasonable amount, If l could not
get another. The cost was about S75 and
some labor for the silo; No. 13 cutter and
carrier cost about 500. So much more food
value can be stored in a slo, that in many
cases, 1t can be built in part of the bay, and
In many Others the expense of building a
new barn for additional storage can be