110 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



The silo is used for the purpose of enabling each man on the 

 same number of acres of land to nearly double the amount 

 of his working force in cows. So that, if he can grow upon 

 one acre of ground fifteen tons of good ensilage, two and a 

 half tons of which are equal in feeding value 1o a ton of the 

 best timothy, he has grown, you see, timothy at the rate 

 of six tons to the acre, which would be a very large 

 crop. 



Mr. S vdd. I would like to ask the governor what kind 

 of corn they are planting, and how thick. 

 - Governor Hoard. I do not know as you desire to run 

 this into a discussion of the ensilage question. I will say 

 that in those portions of our State where we can grow what 

 is known as the B and W corn, the southern ensilage corn, 

 we think that is the most profitable ; and our experiment 

 station has demonstrated that it contains the largest amount 

 of value, on the average. But, where we cannot grow that 

 corn and bring it to the condition of a small ear on each 

 stalk, and that ear to the condition of glazing, we prefer 

 corn which is shorter in its season ; but, if we can get an ear 

 on the B and W corn, we think that is the best. The great 

 difficulty with ensilage, we have found, is to convince the 

 farmer that a large proportion of the value of his ensilage is 

 in his handling of his corn before it goes into the silo. The 

 silo does nothing but simply can it. It is simply canning 

 fodder, to preserve it. The silo cannot put anything into 

 the fodder that does not go in in the first place. 



Mr. Waters of Chicopee. Mr. Stone asked the speaker 

 a short time ago if ensilage was not objected to by some 

 parties on account of its flavoring the butter. About a 

 month ago I was in a certain town in the State of Connec- 

 ticut, where they have a butter factory. The factory uses 

 whole milk, instead of gathering the cream by the cream- 

 gathering system. One of the patrons there told me that 

 they objected to ensilage on account of the flavor it would 

 give the butter. They have in that town as good farmers, 

 as a general rule, and have as good herds of cows, as any 

 town that I have been in for a number of years ; but they 

 are on the wrong track. I claim that there is no feed that 

 makes any better-flavored butter than ensilage, unless you 



