MILK FARMING. 289 



up a little more steam and heat the water to a higher 

 temperature. 



Mr. Edson of Barnstable. I understood the gentleman 

 to say that he planted his corn only seventeen inches apart 

 and it eared out well. Does he mean both ways? * 



Mr. S311TH. No, sir, I mean in the rows. 



Mr. Edson. Do you plant it about three feet the other 

 way ? 



Mr. Smith. Three and a half feet. If you put on 

 manure enough it will ear out well, but if you put it on 

 light land, without any dressing, the corn will run up a 

 single stalk without foliasfe or ears. 



Mr. Edson. I must say I have been very much pleased 

 with the paper and I hope it has opened a discussion of the 

 silo question so that we will all learn something from the 

 experience of one another. I think these experience meet- 

 ings are worth a great deal to every farmer. I believe the 

 silo has come to stay. I have been in favor of the silo for 

 the last ten years, but the expense and trouble of getting 

 steam works and a cutter to cut the ensilaije I)efore it g-oes 

 into the silo has always held me back. I did not want to 

 go to the expense of getting a steam engine and cutter to cut 

 what little ensilage I wanted ; I knew it would not pay. 

 But when they began to put it in whole and found it kept 

 well, I built a silo, and I think, as far as my experience 

 goes, that the ensilage that comes out of my silo is better 

 than that which comes out of silos where it is cut up tine, 

 and I think it keeps better. My mode of packing is to 

 begin at one end, put the butts out in the silo and then lap 

 them over, just the same as you would shingle a building, 

 being very careful in packing them and tramping them 

 down. Then I commence at the other end, go back, pack 

 them very close, and tramp them down in the same manner. 

 I think the ensilage keeps better and there is less air in it. 

 If we cut it up into inch pieces the juice is apt to run out 

 and the ends of the pieces are filled with air, so that we get 

 a good deal more air into the silo with cut ensilage than we 

 do when we put it in whole. After hearing Prof. Goess- 

 mann some years ago state that the proper time to cut the 

 corn fodder for the silo was when the corn was just glazed, 



