12 BOARD OF AGRICULTUtlE. 



SILOS AND p:xsilage. 



The foundation of INIaine aaricultare is stock forao-e. AVith a 



CI? o 



large majority of our farmers, their success in the business in which 

 they are engaged is measured, to a greater degree than with any 

 other class of products, by the aiuouut of stock forage of ditferent 

 kinds which the3' are able to grow upon their farms; and their 

 profits and their losses are usually measured by the abundance or 

 the failure of this class of products. With abundant crops of ha}' 

 aud other forage, large herds and flocks ma}' be kept and liberalh' 

 fed, whicli insures, in turn, l)v proper attention, abundant sui)plies 

 of manure. These manures are the means at hand for increased 

 fertility and still more abundant crops. This being the case, the 

 economical production of stock forage becomes a matter of para- 

 mount importance to all farmers. If it be so to the interior 

 farmers on their cheap lands and broad acres, it is even more so to 

 those farming high-priced lands. These premises being, as we 

 claim, correct, then certainly the preservation and disposition of 

 these same products are matters of equal importance, and may well 

 command our most thoughtful consideration. Abundant crops of 

 stock feed, however valuable they may be when grown, ma}', by 

 imperfect preservation, lose much of that value, and thus net the 

 owner but little. 80, also, fodder well preserved, may, by careless 

 inattention to the disposition of it, l)ring small returns from its use. 

 For generations we have been producing for stock fodder a 

 stereotyped list of products, and have all this time i)racticed a 

 uniform method of preserving it for future use, namely, by drying 

 and storing in barns. Unanimously we seem to have adopted a 

 settled policy in these matters, broken in upon only by limited exper- 

 i)iu'uts ill the production of some fodder products which formerly 

 did not enter the lists. It is a pretty safe conclusion, usually, that 

 the settled practice of a community of intelligent, thoughtful farmers, 

 is based on correct principles, and one nuiy adopt the methods and 

 practices found among them with tlie assurance that under like con- 

 ditions he will not be far out of the way. Still, these uniform 

 practices, many times, finally give way to others which prove to be 

 steps of progress. "We have seen this in the providing of warm 



