116 BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



it belongs, we shall find ensilage, in . many localities, and 

 under certain systems of management, a very desirable addi- 

 tion to our cattle food. I think a great many are going to be 

 disappointed in it. I think a great many who are so enthu- 

 siastic in it now will not be so enthusiastic in it five or ten years 

 hence. I cannot learn that the system of ensilage is extend- 

 ing in France or Germany. In Germany they have been using 

 for years this brown hay; it has been a common article 

 of cattle food there ; and the manner in which the ensilag- 

 ing of fodder corn was discovered was this : a sugar manu- 

 facturer had a quantity of fodder corn that was struck with 

 frost; bethought it was going to be spoiled and dug some 

 pits in the earth, put it in, and covered it up. It came out in 

 good shape, and he followed up the system afterwards. 

 There Js muc to be learned in regard to the varieties of 

 fodder. I hope we shall have some results to present that 

 can 1 relied upon and that will be of value before long. 



Prof. Johnson. I would make one or two further sugges- 

 tions in regard to the question put by Mr. Hurd. One is, that 

 in the conversion of one hundred pounds of green corn into 

 ensilage, we lose something of the substance of the corn, a 

 loss that mainly falls upon the sugar. Dr. Miles has just 

 said that a comparison of the analysis of fodder corn and 

 that of ensilage showed that the fodder-corn had 14.96 per 

 cent, of dry matter, and the ensilage nineteen per cent. I 

 will say fifteen and nineteen ; a difference of four per cent, 

 in the solid matter between the corn as it went in, and the 

 ensilage as it came out. Now, it is the dry matter which does 

 the business. It is not the eighty-five per cent, of water in 

 the green corn, it is not the eighty-one per cent, of water in 

 the ensilage which feeds the animal ; that only waters the 

 animal ; it is the dry substance ; it is what is left after the 

 water is taken out that nourishes. This loss of dry substance 

 will make a great difference in the quantity which it is neces- 

 sary to give. Of 100 lbs. of ensilage we supply 19 lbs. of 

 solid nutriment, but in 100 lbs. of fodder corn we give only 

 15 lbs. Then it would require 127 lbs. of corn to supply 19 

 lbs. of food. 127:19:: 100:15. 



