88 THE BOOK OF ENSILAGE. 



feet apart, using from one r half to one bushel of seed- 

 corn tb the acre, according to the size it grows. I have 

 a variety, the Mammoth Ensilage, which takes 

 only one-half bushel to the acre : the drills want to 

 be four feet apart. It will yield on good corn-land, 

 well manured, 40 to 75 tons of green-corn-fodder to 

 the acre : I guess I can furnish you with seed if you want 

 me to. As soon as the corn begins to prick through 

 the ground, you must harrow it all over with the 

 Thomas smoothing-harrow, and follow it up every week 

 or ten days until the corn is a foot high : each harrowing 

 will take one day. When it is about waist high, you 

 want to go through it once with Hussey's Centennial 

 Improved cultivator and horse-hoe ; after that the corn 

 will shade the ground so much that there will be no 

 more weeds ; when this is done, until your corn is ready 

 to cut, you and your man can change work with your 

 neighbors, helping them in their haying, they to pay 

 you back when you save your corn-fodder : having noth- 

 ing but the garden to attend to, you will have plenty of 

 time to pay in work for all the help you will need then. 

 About the ist of September your corn will be in full 

 tassel, which is the time to cut it. You will have to buy 

 you a cutter, which will cost about $100. You will have 

 to hire a small engine, three to five horse-power will 

 do, and a boy who understands how to run it : this will 

 cost about $25 to $40. It will take eight men besides 

 yourself to cut the corn-fodder and pack it in the Silos 

 to advantage. It will take about ten days to fill the two 

 Silos. I think you will have enough on your 1 5 acres to 

 fill them, and have several tons which you will have 

 to shock and cure by drying. When the Silos are filled, 

 you want to put six inches of rye-straw on top of the 

 Ensilage, then lay down on the straw a floor of one and 



