FARM DEPARTMENT. 253 



13. Inch boards; paper between. 



14. Yes. 



15. No account. 



16. Fill from the last of September to first part of October. Generally 

 open November 15th to 20th. 



17. No; one. 



18. No. We uncover a strip five feet wide and feed from top to bottom 

 of silo, and then open another strip. 



19-20. We are feeding 47 milch cows this winter, and the flow of milk is 

 nearly the same as from pasture. Our ration is a cubic foot of ensilage per 

 day to each cow, in two feeds, with bran and shorts on it, and what hay they 

 will eat up cleanly after. Ensilage, only, is too loosening a ration. 



21. We have a number of milk customers and they are all well satisfied 

 with the quality and flavor of the milk. 



22. Yes. Horses like it, and hogs do well on clover ensilage. 



23. Decidedly not. After the farmer has his silo filled he will return to 

 it in the morning and wonder if the bottom has fallen out, and he will have 

 a chance to "round it up" three or four times, and then he may begin to 

 look around his field to see if he has truck enough on the place to fill the 

 "confounded thing." We know, from experience, that 17 acres of good 

 corn can be put in a very small place. 



24. It has been a success with us, and we consider it a very satisfactory 

 feed, and the cheapest way to preserve fodder. Yes, if a farmer wants to be 

 in the front, to "get there" he must have a silo, well filled. 



MERKILL, FIFIELD & CO., BA5T CITY, MICH. 



Am sorry to say cannot answer all of the questions as fully as desirable, 

 not having facilities for weighing, etc., and only put up silo as an experi- 

 ment ; but am so well pleased with the result will add another one this fall, 

 and know more about it next year. We would not be without a silo if we 

 only had twenty head of cattle and the cost twice as much. 



1. Last summer. 



2. Having in our barn a bay 16x32 ft., we made two bins, or silos, 16 ft. 

 square, by boarding up on inside of the joist, leaving an air space of 8 

 inches, and on both sides of joist, or outside and inside, building paper and 

 boards, then planking up inside with two inch plank to hold it firm, making 

 it 16 ft. square. 



3. Corn, sowed. 



4. Small eight-rowed yellow, white dent, also southern ensilage. 



5. Drills; plugged each alternate tooth of a common wheat drill. 



6. Don't know. 



7. Cut it just before frost came, getting full growth. 



8. We had about five acres, estimated 200 tons. 



9. Estimated. 



10. No. 



11. As fast as we could with one medium sized cutter to get the work 

 done. 



12. Men tramp down after each load is cut, only moderately. 



13. Building paper and boards. 



14. Yes, we filled the small loft over silo with pea straw, that was all the 



