128 EXPERIMENIS WITH ROOTS AND FORAGE CROPS 



A. — Gramineous Forage Crops 



ENSILAGE CORN 



Many varieties of ensilage corn have been grown at the Sta- 

 tion for the past few years, but the question resolves itself 

 down to two varieties, which, we believe, are the ones best 

 adapted to our conditions, namely, the Learning and the San- 

 ford. The former is preferable, we believe, for the southern 

 part of the state, and the latter, perhaps, for the northern. Both 

 mature sufficiently for ensilage here at the Station. 



The Sanford is too well known to farmers generally to need 

 any recommendation. The first bulletin of the New Hampshire 

 Station in 1888 points out its value for ensilage. Ever since 

 this date, this variety has been the main crop here until three 

 years ago. Last year we planted about half the crop to each. 

 The present season fully three-fourths of the ensilage crop was 

 of the Teaming. 



Unlike the Sanford, which is a white flint, the Learning is a 

 yellow dent corn, and is one of the earliest grown. The ears 

 are large and handsome, with deep grain and a small cob. The 

 stalks grow to a medium size, from one to two feet taller than 

 the Sanford ; is very leafy, and usually produces two good ears 

 to the stalk. It adapts itself to various kinds of soils equally 

 as well as the Sanford. The comparative yields of the two 

 varieties during the past seasons have been from two to four 

 tons per acre in favor of the Leaming. Not only has the yield 

 been better, but Professor Morse, who has had charge of the 

 feeding experiments, tells me that the ensilage is equally as 

 good as that of the Sanford, and changing from the one to the 

 other makes no perceptible difference in the milk flow or its 

 composition. 



It is hoped that all who are interested in ensilage will give 

 the Leaming corn a small trial at least. Fig. i, on the cover 

 of the Bulletin, is a photograph of four varieties ; beginning at 

 the left hand side, they are, Mosby's Prolific, Leaming, Pisers, 

 and Sanford. Fig. 2 is a photograph of the Sanford as it 

 stood in the field, while Fig. 3 represents the Leaming, taken 



