34 H. R. STEVENS ON ENSILAGE. 



practised : have plenty of pressure ; and, as the mass settles, it be- 

 comes air-tight, with the chemical change that takes place, forming 

 carbonic acid gas, which fills the interstices, thereby preventing the 

 oxygen from forwarding fermentation. I have no doubt the ensilage, 

 while in this condition, may be preserved for years. I opened my 

 silo early in December. I removed the stone and first plank near 

 the door, then removed the straw which was next to the ensilage. 

 The lower part of the straw, and about two inches on the top of the 

 ensilage, had partially decayed, and was unfit to feed to cattle. I 

 then sliced down the ensilage the width of the plank, removed it 

 from the silo. I found the preservation of the corn-fodder good ; 

 some parts had changed to a light brown color, mostly the leaves of 

 the stalk ; the pith of the stalks were as white as when first cut for 

 silo ; after exposure to the air for a few minutes, it brightened up, 

 the color was more of a light green, the odor and taste was alcoholic 

 and slightly vinous, from that taken off near the top. All below 

 this was very sweet, with the natural taste of the corn-fodder. The 

 ensilage was in a good state of preservation throughout the silo. 

 The slight chemical change that takes place in well-preserved ensi- 

 lage in the silo assimilates, or causes the ensilage to appear slightly 

 cooked or partly steamed. By this chemical change the ensilage, 

 when fed and eaten by cattle, is more easily digested. For that rea- 

 son, I say the ensilage is more beneficial to stock : they like it, thrive 

 better, and do better than when fed upon the same corn-fodder cut up 

 fresh from the field. 



In feeding the ensilage to stock, they ate it very well, cows, year- 

 lings, and calves, except one Jersey, who, in a day or two, ate it 

 well. My cows have a good, warm, well-ventilated basement of my 

 barn, and I thought they looked as well as they could : they have the 

 best of care, well fed, well bedded, thoroughly carded and brushed 

 every day, and their hide and hair as clean and sleek as any horse, 

 and I did not expect they would look any better, if quite as well ; 

 but I must say I never saw them looking as well as they do at the 

 present time. They have less grain than when fed upon hay. They 

 are fat enough for the butcher, look sleek and bright, their hide is 

 loose ; and every farmer knows, with these indications it means the 

 best of health, with an increase of milk in quantity, and the quality 

 so much better, that the butter, with its rich golden color, is only 

 equalled in flavor by the June grasses. 



bince I began to feed ensilage, I give no hay : each cow has its 



