139 



grain may just as well go into the silo, from which it will 

 eventually all be fed to the cattle, and do as much good as 

 if fed in the form of meal. 



No milk raiser in Massachusetts, said Prof. Whitcher, 

 can afford to get along without a silo. The expense of 

 building one should not be over $1 per ton, provided the 

 capacity is one hundred tons or over. In regard to the 

 crop to be raised, he said that the ordinary run of land did 

 not possess enough potash. He did not favor a very large 

 kind of corn, but preferred some kind that would produce 

 ears large enough to boil before the first frost comes. 



He especially recommended the Sanford corn for ensi- 

 lage. This is neither a sweet or a field corn. He would 

 sow 24 or 25 quarts to the acre, which is none too much, 

 and the yield should be 24 or 25 tons. Three pecks of 

 southern corn to the acre is none too much. 



There are two ways of harvesting — whole and cut. It 

 should be cut, though it is better to stow awa}'" whole than 

 not at all. It was at first deemed necessary to weight en- 

 silage with sand or rocks, but this is intended to protect 

 the top only, and, as a matter of fact, it does not do that; 

 some six inches on top are pretty sure to be spoiled any 

 way, and his experience was a foot of sawdust on top was 

 as good as anything. A fair estimate in feeding ensilage 

 to cows is to allow five tons to a cow per annum, or 45 to 

 50 pounds per day to a cow of 1000 pounds. 



Some questioning and discussion followed, in which vari- 

 ous ones participated, in the course of which Prof. Whitcher 

 stated it as his belief, that the interest on the money 

 invested in a brick or stone silo would more than keep a 

 wooden one in repair and rebuild it when necessary. 



IMPROVED PASTURE AND WASTE LAND. 



The Committee on Improved Pasture and Waste Land 

 have attended to their duty, and respectfully recommend 

 the following premiums : 



