DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 59 



EXPERIMENTS. 



In addition to the work of instruction and superintending the farm, some 

 time and hibor iiave been devoted to farm experiments, some leport of whicli 

 is herewith appended. There is a great demand for experiments at the Col- 

 lege ; but it must be remembered that work of tiiis cliaracter, with our pres- 

 ent system, can only be inciiiental, secondary to the regular work of instruc- 

 tion and the superintending of departments. We have to teach and have 

 charge of departments where there is much of detail. These duties give at 

 best only limited time, and that inegularly, for experimental work. 



The results of our ensdage experiments are given in the following report: 



At the last regular session of the I^egislatnre an appropriation was made of one 

 thousand dollars "for the purpose of conducting experiments with ensilage 

 for the feeding of animals, the culture of amber cane and new varieties of 

 grain and beet roots by the farm departtnent of the Agricultural College." 

 Tiie bill was not passed until quite late in the session, being approved June 11, 

 1881, so that we were somewhat hurried in the prelia)inary work of pieparing 

 the ground and building the silo. As a new grain barn, with high basement 

 walls, was being erected on the farm, we decided to build the silo in one cor- 

 ner of this basement, with the thought that if the ensilage experiment was 

 not satisfactory, the silo could be utilized as u root cellar. A space in tlie 

 northeast corner was chosen for this purpose, and a wall made eighteen 

 inches thick, well laid with common field stone and strong mortar. Tilts were 

 laid to cany off water and the floor was then covered with small stones, bed- 

 ded in cement, and then cemented, as well as the sides, until all was smooth, 

 and supposed to be air and water tigiit. The inside measurement of the silo 

 is 14x15 feet, and walls 8 feet higii. There is a door four feet wide and six 

 feet liigh from the silo into the basement, where the ensilage is taken out. 

 From tiie wall on two sides a frame four feet high extends, sided with matched 

 stuff and covered with a tight floor — the barn forming the other two sides. 

 Two doors from the barn floor, 3x4, open into this upper space, where the 

 ensilage is run from the cutter into the silo, and a door of the same ^ize is on 

 the outside for putting in and taking out the stones used for weighting the 

 ensilage. This fi'ame extension from the walls gives space for the weights 

 and allows us to fill the silo to nearly its full capacity after the pressure has 

 been apf)lied. Where circumstances will admit, 1 think the barn basetnent is 

 the proper place for the silo. It is near the stiibles, where it is to be used, and 

 a door through which it maybe taken out, dii'ectly to the animals, is more 

 convenient tium to lift the ensilage over the top of the wall. .Sdos can bo 

 built in almost any barn in this manner at much less expense than if built 

 separately, as no extra expense for roof is incurred. When filling the silo, 

 matched plank were fitted in the doorway to the basement, and the ensilage 

 packed against these as the filling proceeded. When opened the ensilage was 

 found to be as perfectly preserved next to these plank as in any other pjirt of 

 the outside of the silo. Matched plank, two indies thick, were used iis a 

 cover, care being taken to have them ficelosely, but not to bind in the settling. 



The items of expense incurred in building the silo are as follows: 



Excavation $10 00 



Fifty-six perch of stone, at 75 cents a perch 44. 00 



Laying stone, at (JO cents a perch 3 J CO 



Ten barrels lime, at $1.10 11 00 



