The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-06-23
DEER CREEK FARMERS. CLUH.
A Talk About SiIOs- a0VprnOr IOwndes
M Int. rPsttai h,isIanHr

DEER CAEkA FARWEkS' CLUB.
A Talk About SilOs- Governor I.Ownde
an Int. rPst-d Listener.
The regular monthly meeting Of the D. G
Creek Farmers Club was held last eaturda
| evening, at - aradIse," the residence Of Nj
II. Harris Archer, near Churchvlle. cher
was large attendance, both of members au,
visitors, the latter including Governor IlOyt
Lowndes, who was an Interested listener to TIN
discussion of the "Sio." The meeting wa
held ON the lawn under the trees, and was on,
of the most enjoyable gatherings the Club ha
sitnstaa on Io me ts f Mr. hi; nrehers place
| al sides To valley which is surrounded by
Succession oil bills, Idnkin2 il . picturCsqucIy
| beautiful spot. The residence Is III old cOIunia
style, being fully two bundled years old. II
| is built of stone and red clay, covered with
, stuc4o, and is one and a-half stories high. Such
| buildings IRE rare in these DAYS. ana this on,
| Is worth going miles to see. 1t is said to have
been used as Catholic church and priests resi-.
Gencc two centuries ago.
| The members present were Messrs j. Law
renee Mccormick, president: John ID. Worth.
| lngton, secretary; James Lee, William Il. Hop
kius, John Moores, John b. Wysong, L. Harris
Archer, S. A. Williams, f. II. Jacobs, Harry
| Silver, u. Cover street,. II. q. Bruins Fred.
| Lochary, w. 2eatty Harlan. William W. Finney
ana WIN. T. Hays. The visitors were Messrs.
tanBiblCT. George E. Silver, VIM q. Bayless,
| BargraveS SpaldlrE. John Kehoe, Governor
Lloyd M L9wndeG, William ~, " Wilson. Harry
sen and Edward &. Hopkins.
The meeting was Gnlle to order bv the Pres-
dent, j. Lawrence Mccormick, with J. d.
Worthingtun, SECRETARY. A committee, COM
posed Of VIM. B. Hopkins H. b. Bruins and J
Il. "ys0ng. was appointed to inspect the place
and report to the Club. The whole party ac-
cOmpAnied this committee. Mr.. Archer showed
them three heifers. six steers, two cows and \,
pair of two year-old, well broken oxen These
oxen were broken by the boys on the farm and
by Thorndale, with colt by Erie Wilkes and
six. ycar-old mare by All My own" also n
number of fine hogs were inspected. Upon re-
turn OF tue committee, its chairman, Mr. w b.
HOPKINS. reported as follows:
air. Presidcnt-This is one of the best places
in Hartford county. We have looked over the
heiers, which are very well kept, and some
steers in good order. They were bought cheap,
have done well, ere in fine order and will make
money. The oxen are fine and will grow into
money. The colt is of good stock. Nj. Archer
has plenty of hogs to keep him in meat for one
year at least. and Il nice mare by All My own
Ills grass field looks as well as any in the
county. Corn also looks fiourishng His
wheat Is turning The farm generally is in
good condition, clean and well kept"
ii. t. brunS-"l endorse what Mr. Hopkins
says Everything is in nice order.''
!. Ii; Wysong-"i am supposed to be the
critic, but find nothing to criticize"
The subject for discussion selected was the
The Silo." 1t being one about which few of
the members had much experience the re-
marks were confined to those having sllos
Each gentleman was interrupted so often by
questions and cross answers, that we give their
views condensed.
K. Harris Archer said: ~ know nothing
about it personally; all know is what have
seen and read, but have been much impressed,
l think the silo has many advantages for farm
ers over the old way of feeding. Corn is fit to
go into it any kind of weather In three or
four days the whole work is done. A farmer
who has sio and lays In a little bran is fixed
for the winter; l have watched Mr.. James
Lees cattle and noticed that since he has been
feeding ensilage they are better than ever be-
lore: COWS tine same way. The silo should tie
built of stone. as wood will rot, and | believe
tne scientists are wrong on the subject
Harry Silver-"l have sio which l have
used Tor three years, and from my experience
I believe that a silo properly built properly
filled and fed from, is the best way to get the
benefit OF my corn crop. The frs year made
a mistake in filling, but now I am more
experienced and better satisfied. Last fall |
Put the ensilage in loose and fed eight Bushels
OF ensage off 81 square feet, and had none
spoiled. l attribute this result to the WAY it
was put in. while before it was put in wrong
] Believe one acre OF corn-fodder ensilage, with
bran, Will produce one Thousand pounds of
beef. My ensilage had fifteen barrels to the
acre.
James Lee-"I have only fed ensiIane one
year. My attention was called to it by noticing
my neighbors' COWS, and concluded TO build
one OF one hundred tons. I fed fortv.Four
cattle on ensage and twenty on grain ana en-
silage. Those fed on the latts T. did better than
those LED on ensllagc alone. fed about
eighteen pounds day. Those fed ON ensilage
put on one hundred pounds more a hesd. |
think it would pay well to cut hay and mix
vii ensilagp. | tried IL and fed about thirty
live pounds day; would mix grain, hay and
ensiiage all together. have made caicula-
ON and lind it takes seven ceres of fifteen
barrels TO the acre to feed forty head for $50 |
days; that seven acres dry is los barrels, Or
day. fed some cattle with ensilage, fodder, |
&C., and they did well. Ensilage would be the
most economical way OF feeding ordinary
d bout three dollars ton. 7 am putting nm
another silo Of 800 tons; | think it will take
one is to be % nI % feet and 80 feet high |
walls from 2la feet at the bottom to 8 inches
mt the top. Made about as much manure us
before using slo food"
" Beatty Hnrlan-' have had my silo lust !
one wear, ard WAS much pleased with feeding
last winter. can produce eusilage in silo for |
one dollar Il ton and possibly rs cents. ] paid |
STA last year for two hundred tons. l think |
it certainly is good feed. The cattle preferred |
It md left other foods alone when they had |
choice. II costs five cents TO husk and grind |
corn per bushel, and all that work is done while |
filing the silo. This year expect the filling to |
cost about fifty cents Il ton. fed with grain |
mixture of bran and cob meal. 1never spread |
except from the top; no tramping and hurdly
any spoiled. / think the cheapcst thing to top |
with is fodder: put about four cart loads on |
top of mine. The temperature went up to 100 |
III the silo and down 10 100 degrees. and there
was very little spoiled none in the wooden
part and very little in the stone part. think |
change in the manure
George e. Silver-"I have never had any
practical experience with the siio or ensilage. |
| put canning house Otial up during q hard
rain, and in feeding it hauled every day and |
seat Uttered it along the wall where fed 20 head |
under tie barn. ! fed fodder and hay with |
ensilage. Have seen cattle leave the hay and |
cat the ensilage alone. 1t kept the bowels |
loose. they shed Off as soon aud look rs well as |
granted cattle. paid me well to save huslls.
| have been reading on the subject and seen |
feeding with ensilaRe, and have concluded the |
si!o is profitable thing. 1t will pay every
farmer to I'LL and have one to use corn for all
Aty,r d., RI i &c
of it is wasted. and by slo food ALL or at least
90 per cent. is consumed. We can grow fifteen
tons to the acre. and corn is the best crop to
use. Ensilage. wheo fed o animals, gives large |
returns. 1t takes less harm space. One cubic |
foot Of ensilage weighs about forty pounds
the cost of preparing is much less in ensilage,
than the old way. A sio built properly with
the stable will save work and expense.
When pastures give out silo food will keep the
cattle up to what they are wnen it gives our.
Pasture should be supplemented with grain
and silo." Hogs will also thrive on ensilage,"
(Mr. Lee lnterlected.l .'lf it Is the experience
that acres will feed forty head that is evidence
enough that we should use so and corn food"
J. L. McCor nick" 1t has been twelve years
since built my slo, which was the first in the
county. 1t was expensive, becauseit was built
with four thicknesses of boards The result
was good for the first five years. after which it
was not so good. | then used an old cistern
and it has been very satisfactory. If should
build new one would build it of stone. eX-
pect there are about fifty sllos in the county
now. My experience has been satisfactory
with cattle. My best gain was ii pounds in
thirty days. ! am an ardent advocate of the
sio. and don't see how dairymen and cattle
feeders can get along in any other way. MY
sio's capacity is so tons, from which fed 25
head all winter and up to May Goth, and left
four feet in the si!os. which expect to feed
this summer. can produce milk cheaper from
ensage than in any other way, and can keen
double the amount of stock at the same cost"
H. 3. BrunS-"I have heard s. number of
different persons' experience with silos, and
only heard of one who dos not like them. |
think every one should try TO have ensilage left
over every summer. so when the pastures give
out they could feed it,"
with eIios. hut have no doubt they are good
things can't understand, though. why man
would put his silO thirty feet from his barn.
Ii should be right in the barn or near it, so
he could feed directly from the silo. III July
and August think we should feed green corn,
/ believe that dairymen and cattle feeders
should provide themselves with Silos,"
john ID. Worthington-"All 1 could say Is
would be stealing other peoples thunder If
said much. / have watched my neighbours
cattle and they are certainly better since using
ensilage."
VIM. W. Finney-"I know nothing on the
subject from my own experience. Ihave seen
a bunch of sixty head of cattle belonging to
Mr.. Harlsn. They look fine and better than
they did before he had siIo''
Fred. Lochary-"I have had no experience,
and have nothing to say"
Hargraves Spaldin0-" Have had NJ expe-
rience with silos. but am an advocate of them.
| thiuk there is great economy in having them.
Feed goes further and with better results"
John Kehoe-"I never had any experience,
hut wherayar I have them the stock lacks