FARM DEPARTMENT. 235 



placed one foot apart. On the outside ordinary stock boards, battened and 

 painted with two coats, made the finish. On the inside the studding was 

 first covered with shipping culls, put on horizontally. On these a layer of 

 tarred paper, then a second covering of boards was put on perpendicularly. 

 This was lathed and plastered with water lime cement. 



The floor is just as left when the excavation was finished. A good shingle 

 roof, with a window and outside door in each silo — the latter for putting in 

 and taking out the materials for weighting — completes the building. 



The ensilage would have kept just as well without the cement coat. We 

 put that on to preserve the boards; kept constantly wet, they will soon 

 decay where the ensilage is placed next to them. As a hay barn this silo 

 would hold twenty tons; but it has a capacity equivalent in feeding value to 

 sixty-five tons of hay, estimating three tons of ensilage equal to one ton of 

 good hay, which we have found in actual feeding a fair comparison. 



The sides of the silo are well tied by strong iron rods that run from side to 

 side. I lay much stress upon the use of 2x12 studding placed one foot apart. 

 They not only add to the strength and lessen the danger from the lateral 

 pressure, but also leave a twelve inch air space which affords more protection 

 from the frost. The difference in the cost will not warrant the risk incurred 

 by the use of light lumber in the construction of the silo. 



CHOPS FOE ENSILAGE. 



It is claimed that any crop suitable for feeding in the green state will make 

 good ensilage. 



That a great variety of plants have been used with success for this purpose 

 is well known. 



Pease, oats, millet, rye, clover, sorghum, and many other forage plants 

 have strong advocates of their merits for ensilage. 



Indian corn is, however, the great ensilage crop of America. Clover is, 

 by many good authorities, ranked second. 



Corn is, perhaps, the surest of our forage crops, and, considering all the 

 country, gives a greater yield than any other. The question is often asked, 

 "What variety of corn is best for ensilage?" Some advocate the use of sweet 

 corn ; some a variety of ordinary field corn, and others the southern corn. 

 Sweet corn does not seem to be as valuable for ensilage as the dent varieties. 

 It yields less and there will be more acid in the ensilage, so that it is not 

 usually as palatable. When the opinion prevailed that the leaf and stalk 

 were the more desirable parts and the grain of little consequence, southern 

 varieties were largely cultivated. The seed was much of it sown broadcast 

 or very thickly in drills. 



On both of these points there has been a change of opinion, one the nat- 

 ural outgrowth of the other. 



It is now generally believed that the more mature the grain while the 

 stalk remains green, the better the ensilage will be. So that early maturing 

 varieties are now considered most valuable. A test of several varieties rec- 

 ommended for ensilage will be found in this bulletin. To obtain mature corn 

 there must be more room for each plant, so thinner seeding is now practiced. 



