60 THE BOOK OF ENSILAGE. 



corn is allowed to stand in the field until the ear is fully 

 formed, is far from being an injury: on the contrary, 

 it is probably an advantage. Nearly if not all of our 

 domestic animals gain faster when their food is allowed 

 to stand and ferment until more or less sour before 

 feeding. 



This has been demonstrated at the Massachusetts 

 Agricultural College. There all food is chopped and 

 steamed. By actual experiments it was noticed that the 

 animal gained faster, and had a better appetite, when the 

 steamed food was allowed to stand twenty-four hours, at 

 least, to ferment until there was a perceptible degree of 

 sourness, than when fed upon the same food before any 

 such change had taken place. 



In regard to swine, every farmer knows that they gain 

 faster upon sour, not putrid food, than upon sweet. 



The other day a neighbor of mine, a most excellent 

 farmer, called to see Ensilage. He winters about 60 

 head of cattle. He informed me that several years ago 

 he began to cut his hay and other fodder, and mix his 

 grain with the cut fodder, wetting it thoroughly with 

 boiling water. He found a very considerable gain in so 

 doing. About three years ago he began to mix and wet 

 with boiling water a day's feed for his stock, and let it 

 stand twenty-four hours before feeding, during which 

 time it ferments and becomes quite sour. He informed 

 me that his stock ate it better for the fermentation, and 

 that there is a saving of at least 50 per cent in the 

 amount of hay they required, from the amount they 

 required if fed dry and uncut. His process, doubtless, 

 has somewhat the same effect in facilitating the diges- 

 tion and assimilation of the starch and other nutritive 

 elements in the fodder as is produced by Ensilaging. 



Among the many minor advantages to be gained by 



