ENSILAGE. 



The first investigation of ensilage made on the Agricultural 

 College farm was in 1886. During the past year this work has 

 been very much increased in amount and scope. Very few, to- 

 day, doubt the economy of ensilage as food for farm stock, but 

 there are a variety of opinions concerning the methods of pro- 

 duction and storing of this valuable food. Many small or me- 

 dium farmers are rejecting the silo, not for lack of faith in it but 

 for a supposed lack of means. My object, in this work of in- 

 vestigation, was not, therefore, especially planned for the wealthy 

 farmer, with large farm and stock, but rather for that larger 

 class who till small areas, and whose plans must recognize the 

 financial factor, the cost of equipment. 



A few of the questions asked were : 



1st. Are costly silos of masonry necessary? 



2d. Can green crops be stored whole? 



3d. Is rapid filling necessary ? 



4th. Is there any advantage to be gained by selecting the 

 variety of corn planted ? 



1st. Experience demonstrates that a silo of forty to seven- 

 ty tons capacity can be built in a section of almost any barn at 

 a cost of one dollar for each ton, or for forty to seventy dollars. 

 This pays for the lumber, the labor, and all materials used. On 

 farms where there is an abundance of lumber, and stone for 

 foundations, the cash outlay for a one hundred ton silo need not 

 exceed $25.00 for materials, saw bill, etc., 

 and 10.00 for labor, supposing the team work done by farm 



team, 



or $35.00 for a one hundred ton silo. First cost of silo, 



then, need not deprive any farmer of the benefits of ensilage. 



2d. The experience of the past two years, both on the Col- 

 lege farm and among others who have tried the system, has 

 clearly shown that corn may be stored whole in the silo, giving, 

 in many respects, a better preserved ensilage than when cut into 



