ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 1 33 



travagant claims of the advocates of ensilage he has now become 

 one of them himself." (See Country Gentleman, Feb. '88.) 



As to the space occupied by one ton of ensilage. This will 

 average 44 square feet, while a ton of hay will fill 500 cubic 

 feet. One square foot weighs 45 pounds. One bushel weighs 

 about 30 pounds. Twenty tons can be put into a space ten feet 

 square and nine feet high, and these twenty tons fed out as at 

 the rate of one bushel twice a day to each animal, which is a 

 judicious rate of feeding, will suffice for twenty cows for one 

 month and two or three days over. A silo of capacity to supply 

 twenty cows for six months should hold 120 tons of ensilage, and 

 would occupy a space 28 feet long, 12 feet wide and 16 high. 

 All the corn stalks to fill this could be raised on six acres of 

 good, well fertilized land. The space mentioned is just about 

 equal to one of the bays of the 30 by 40 feet barns so prevalent 

 in our country, and such a bay would be about the very best 

 place to put a silo, with the cow stable extending as a wing from 

 the end of it. 



I might quote statements of practical farmers and dairymen 

 as to their great success and satisfaction in the feeding of ensi- 

 lage, but the purpose of this paper is simply to invite your con- 

 sideration of this subject. You will find that positive benefits 

 may be derived from it, that you can keep more cows on your 

 farms and obtain more milk, and that the succulent food is favor- 

 able to the health as well as nutrition of your herd; that you can 

 make a material increase in your crops and store it in a very 

 small compass, and especially that you can do more to insure an 

 adequate supply of winter provender, whether the season be 

 over dry or over wet than by any other mode of raising it on 

 your farm. You will find, too, that no very extraordinary 

 increase of labor is demanded of you and that only very simple 

 arrangements are needed. 



The seed corn should be of such variety as will about reach 

 maturity at cutting time. Drill it about 3 feet 8 inches apart, 

 dropping three kernels to the foot, so as to give a good expos- 

 ure of each plant to the sun and air, and allow ears to form. It 



