THE ENSILAGE OF OTHER CROPS THAN CORN. 57 



on a dairy farm. It has the disadvantage of maturing 

 rapidly, and all at once ; so soon as the heads begin to 

 form, the stalk becomes hard and woody, especially at 

 the lower part, and loses its nutritious qualities. 



Where ensilage is practised to a large extent, it is well, 

 as Messrs. Whitman & Burrell propose, to have a silo 

 empty by the time the rye is in its best condition for 

 fodder, at which time it may be cut and stored, thus 

 preserving this valuable crop in its greatest perfection. 



Both Oats and Wheat, cultivated for fodder crops, have 

 been successfully converted into ensilage. We have not 

 heard of the use of Oats and Peas as an ensilage crop. 

 This mixture is a favorite fodder crop with many farm- 

 ers, and converting it into ensilage would allow it to 

 be secured for future feeding at just the time of its great- 

 est perfection, which is before the formation of the grain 

 and seeds has materially diminished the nutritious value 

 of the herbage in cither. 



Among the kinds of forage that have been preserved 

 in silos in Europe is the foliage of the Jerusalem Arti- 

 choke, Helianthus tuber osus. A variety of this, called 

 the "Brazilian Artichoke," is most generally cultivated, 

 though it is " Brazilian " only in name. It differs from 

 the old and well-known form in having shorter and 

 rounded tubers, which grow close around the base of the 

 plant, and these usually have a red skin. The variety 

 known as " Brazilian " is regarded as vastly preferable to 

 the old form with long and scattered tubers. 



This crop is coming into use in some parts of the 

 country, as affording a valuable food for swine. The 

 yield of tubers is often enormous, and as the harvesting 

 is done by the animals themselves it is cheaply raised. 

 The crop is, however, a very exhausting one, there being 

 few plants that take from the soil and deposit in their 

 herbage such a large amount of potash as does this. 

 Wherever the Artichoke is grown, the stalks and foliage 



