The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-06-06
TcoNoLUDED FROM PAGE Il

with straw alone, and did as LITTLE
packing as / could, merely keeping the
siIage levelled as filed in, 30 as TO pre-
vent the grain in it from all running
to one place. Some effort was made OF
course to fill the silage into the corners
Of the pit. The r. lit that year was
so excellent, for we had by that time
found out how to grow the corn for
a mature crop, that I have never since
paid any attention to any packing at
all, but have depended on the natural
settling Of the MACS. / have found 1t
far better not to be in any haste about
filling, but cut q day at a time and lay
off a day so as to give it a chance to
settle. When not picked hard, the
mass heats more rapidly, and a high
temperature in the ensilage insures a
sWeeter product, as the temperature
can be carried to a point that will be
@ check to the further growth of the
ferment organisms. The evolution OF
Carbonic acid, which is heavier than
air, forces the air out from below, and
il none comes in from below, the mass
will remain air tight. A porous cover
is essential, since the moisture should
have some means for passing of.
Right where the mass comes In contact
with the upper air there will always
be a growth of the spider web like my
celium of fungus, and the inter lRcing
threads of this will gradually form a
tight cover over the whole Or curse
the corn will form its own owe in
this way, but it is better to have this
made of a cheaper material. Chaff or
cut straw is good, but here the best
cover is made of the hulls Of the cotton
seed from the oil mills. These, being
covered with a short lint, lie closely to-
gether, and soOn make q that
perfectly excludes all access Of other
germs from the air. Every scientific
man who has had anything to do with
laboratoratory work with bacteria,
knows that raw cotton will perfectly
exclude any germs from access to ma
tCrial under study and culture, and it
does the same thing in the silo. There
il no cover that go completely answers
the purpose as the cotton seed bulls.
AS to the value Of ensilage al a feed
there can no longer be any question.
No food value is added to the corn, Of
course, but there is far less waste than
in any other way OF curing, and the
succulence and palatability of the food
is the greatest advantage. Here in the
South we have many advantages over
the Northern ensilage maker in our
longer season. We always make silage
al a second crop. In Virginia I always
got a crop of clover hay eff the land be
fore planting the corn, and here, last
season, my colleague, who has the
charge of these things, cut a crop Of
and then planted the corn and made q
fine crop of silags, and then put the
land into grass, and now, as I write,
the cattle are Wading knee deep in the
rich grass on the same land where a
year ago a crop of oats were growing,
and from which the winter store of
ensilage was made. Then, too, in our
COW peas we have a source of ensiIage
that enables US to make with the corn
silage a perfectly balanced ration that
will fully substitute and improve on
the old practice Of buying wheat bran,
and thus leaves a better margin for
the profit Of feeding.