until the corn is two feet high ; where there is little " witch 

 grass " (also known as Couch grass, Scotch grass, etc., etc.,) no 

 hand hoeing is necessary, but with an abundance of this troub- 

 lesome grass once through with the hand hoe is necessary. 



HARVESTING. 



Harvesting should commence in season to secure most of 

 the crop before the first hard frost ; no man can tell when this 

 will be, and so no rule can be given. A light frost does not ma- 

 terially injure ensilage, but a heavy one probably works injury, 

 especially if the corn is allowed to stand long. 



The method of harvesting depends upon the way in which 

 the ensilage is to be stored. When there is lack of machinery 

 for cutting, or when it is desired to try ensilage one year before 

 investing in a full outfit, packing whole will give a nice quality 

 of ensilage and will necessitate no extra outlay in harvesting, 

 the ordinary help on the farm and the usual team will fill the 

 silo fast enough, in fact, it may somstimas be necessary to wait 

 for the temperature in the silo to rise, for I am convinced that it 

 should be as high as 130° each day before a new lot is added. 

 This method of whole filhng is so simple, so entirely within the 

 reach of all, and so satisfactory when practiced that I am forced 

 to say, that were I to provide a silo on a farm of my o.vn I should 

 most certainly plant a variety of Northern corn, capable of pro- 

 ducing twelve to fifteen tons of well matured corn per acre, and 

 should pack it whole, allowing the temperature to keep as near 

 140° as possible while being packed. 



There is another advantage in starting with whole ensilage, 

 even if it proves unsatisfactory the first year, the cutter and pow- 

 er can be secured later for the second year, and there is nothing 

 wasted, no outfit to throw aside, every dollar invested for the 

 whole ensilage equipment is needed when the change is made, 

 hence, there t,s no risk. On the other hand, if the whole ensil- 

 age does give satisfaction, then the extra outlay for machinery 

 and the extra cost of filling is avoided. 



In this I have in mind those farmers who desire to store 

 from twenty to seventy-five tons of this food, rather than the men 

 wishing for hundreds of tons, and as the former class are a hund- 

 red times more numerous than the latter, and also more serious 

 ly need the advantages which ensilage bring, I think I am justi 

 fied in planning and executing the experiments especially from 

 their point of view. 



