GROWING CORN FOR FODDER AND EN- 

 SILAGE. 



A TEST OF VARIETIES OF ENSILAGE CORN. 



The results of most of the experimental work upon the growth 

 of corn for ensilage have strongly indicated that those varieties 

 that will reach a fair degree of maturity are the best for fodder 

 and ensilage purposes. Nevertheless, the strong growing and 

 late maturing varieties have remained favorites with many be- 

 cause of the large yield of green fodder obtained from them. 

 We have grown during the past season forty -one different varie- 

 ties, (including "Kaffir Corn," a sort of sorghum). These varieties 

 include all that were advertised as valuable for ensilage pur- 

 poses in the seed catalogues that were at hand. Our list of varie- 

 ties grew so rapidly late in the season, that we could not give to 

 all as much space as was intended ; consequently a selection was 

 made of fifteen of the most prominent varieties. These were 

 planted in tenth-acre plots, so as to get the comparative 3 7 ield as 

 well as the comparative composition. The remainder were 

 planted in single rows only, and no attempt was made to ascer- 

 tain the comparative yield. 



The season was late and very wet, yet the frosts held off so long 

 in the fall that the season was fully as long as ordinary, and the 

 different varieties reached as mature a stage as they would be 

 likely to in an ordinary season. 



The varieties that were planted in single rows were planted 

 May 8th, but owing to the frequency and abundance of the rain- 

 fall it was impossible to plant the fifteen varieties on the tenth- 

 acre plots until May 14th. 



All the corn was planted on a clover and timothy sod. That 

 planted in tenth acre plots, received no fertilizer. That planted 

 in sample rows was in the general corn field and had received a 

 liberal dressing of farm-yard manure before the ground was 

 plowed. Sibley's Pride of the North was planted in duplicate, 

 one plot was planted with seed procured from H. Sibley & Co., 

 and a single row was planted from seed that had been grown at 

 the Station for several years. 



