264 Tilt: I' ARM. 



Silos and Ensilage. — The new system of pi-eserving and feeding ensi 

 lage, says an intelligent writer, is one of such simplicity that doubting miii;la 

 are incredulous as to possible results. If the building of a silo and the sub- 

 sequent process of filling with ensilage were some wonderful secret, or per- 

 haps a new discovery protected by a series of patents — if the use of the sys- 

 tem were permitted only under the payment of heavy royalties — there is a 

 class of skeptical minds who fatten on iincertain quahties, and who have but 

 little faith in any practice which is within the reach of persona of ordinai-y 

 intelligence and common sense. It is difficult for many minds to realize the 

 facts claimed for ensilage or to explain to themselves why such results 

 should be secured by processes so simple and by apportions so economical. 

 Yet proof, absolute demonstration, is within the reach of every inquiring 

 mind, or of every enterprising farmer who is willing to spend fifty dollai-s 

 for commencing experiments upon his own farm. 



It is a most singular fact that the doubting minds are those who have 

 had no practical experience on the subject, but whose conservatism is on 

 the parade. It is equally surprising that no intelligent, practical attempt at 

 silo building or ensilage feeding has resulted in failure, although men of all 

 classes and attainments have experimented with the new system. It would 

 be reasonable to expect many failures among so many beginners of varying 

 capacities, were there anything intricate or uncertain in the process and its 

 auxiliaries. No authority in this country is competent to pronounce posi- 

 tively upon the future success or failure of tliis new system; it is for the in- 

 terest of no one to urge or induce the adoption of the system by any unwill- 

 ing farmer, and no one is to be enriched by the multiplication of silos, 

 except, perhaps, the individual owners. Many a conservative farmer will 

 await the report of his more enterprising neighbor, who has built a silo, yet 

 it is certain that before many years every one will have an opportunity to 

 judge the merits and drawbacks of the system of ensilage. 



IVe-w Way witli a Silo. — A Massachusetts farmer records his experi- 

 ence as follows: We had always raised more or less Indian com, using the 

 stalks for wintering our limited number of cattle. After increasing our herd 

 we planted fodder corn to help out our stock of com stalks. However, the 

 hard labor attending the cutting, binding, shocking, and curing the fodder 

 made us willing investigators of the new and highly recommended system 

 of ensilage feeding. From all who had constructed silos and tested ensilage 

 we heard uniformly favorable reports. We could not learn of a failure, 

 hence we determined to test ensilage for ourselves, only hesitating on ac- 

 count of the probable labor and expense attending the erection and weight- 

 ing of a stone silo. 



Learning that wooden silos found favor with some farmers who pro- 

 nounced them equally as good, so long as they lasted, as the more costly 

 stone affairs, we determined upon constructing our silo of wood. Our barn 

 is a two-story building, measuring 40x80 feet. It contains several large 

 bays, the dimensions of which are 20x24 feet. Wo sealed up one of these 

 bays with 1 1-4 inch matched spruce boards covered with tarred paper. We 

 cemented the bottom of the silo, also the walls iinder the sills of the bam. 

 We coated the inside of the silo with coal oil to prevent the effects of mois- 

 ture upon the boards. 



We stored about 125 tons of com fodder in the silo, treading it down by 

 men, instead of horses, by reason of the small size of the silo. We were 

 about three weeks storing the whole of our fodder on account of the lack of 



