63o 
October 6 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
SWEET CORN HUSKS IN THE SILO. 
now AX OHIO FARJfKR MAKES CRFAP ENSILAGE. 
Out of the Wastes From a Canning: Factory. 
Mr. Glick of Piekawav County Oliio, built the first 
silo in his county in 189©. At first he filled it with 
corn in the ordinary way. There is a sweet corn can¬ 
ning- factory about three miles from Mr Glick’s farm 
and in the fall of 1893, he began hauling the husks of 
sweet corn to feed the cattle at pasture as the drought 
had kept back the grass. While doing this, to use his 
own words: 
“ It occurred to me to fill the silos with these husks 
to use between the time the factory shut down and 
winter, when I would fill again with corn grown on 
my own farm. This was my thought, but the factory 
ran longer than expected. By the time I had the 
silos filled, the rains sommenced and started the fall 
pastures so well that I did not need to feed from the 
silos till grass failed consequently I did not need to 
use my own grown corn.” 
Cost and duality of the Husks. 
“What do these husks cost you ? ” I asked. 
“ Twenty-fi^e cents per load, whether I haul a 
wagon-load or a car-load. I have 16 foot ladders on 
my wagon; on this I built a four-foot rack—this I haul 
full, tramped In—I haul with a large team weighing 
32 to 31 hundred.” 
“How much do you suppose you haul at a load ? ” 
“ Three tons at any rate.” 
“ Are the husks rich with corn ? ” 
“Yes; some loads are much more so than others. 
The poorer the sweet corn crop, the more corn or ears 
in the husks. The buskers husk by the box, which 
are passed to the sorters. The refuse corn, such as is 
wormy or otherwise damaged, goes into boxes and is 
sold at a nickel a box or $1 per wagon-load. When 
these boxes are not kept out of the way by direct pur¬ 
chasers, they are emptied in the husks. This makes 
the husks often very rich.” 
“ You know that husks on corn fodder are the last 
part that cattle and horses will eat. How about these ? ” 
“They eat them readily, and if thrown out of the 
silo in the lot with fodder, they will eat them in pref¬ 
erence to the fodder.” 
“ Is it cheaper feed than you can grow ? ” 
“I consider it so. But a question comes in here— 
how would it be if I had to hire a man to drive the 
team ? My boy drives it; it is no trouble for him to 
load, as he drives under the dump, and all he does is 
to spread the husks in the rack.” 
Getting Into the Silo. 
“ How many loads does he haul a day ? ” 
“Two loads, and sometimes three. It is uncertain, 
as there are eo many waiting, and the striking of fac¬ 
tory hands, etc. Last year, on account of the drought, 
so many hauled that it was with difficulty that loads 
could be secured at regular intervals.” 
“ What is the s-ze of your silos ? ” 
“ One 91^x111^, and 14 feet deep; the other, ll>^x9>^, 
and 16 feet deep. This year we will put in 30 loads. 
Last year I was talking with Prof. Hunt, of Ohio 
State Uniiiersity. He said he was surprised that the 
husks would keep without cutting. He did not think 
they would pack close enough.” 
“On! You do not cut them ! ” 
“ No, I just elevate them into the silo. Not having 
to cut them cheapens the cost very much. For ele¬ 
vating arrangement I use a horse power feed mill, 
attached to elevator, using one horse.” 
“ Do you tramp these husks in the silo ? ” 
“ A little, not much. We aim to keep a man in 
there to keep it level, and keep the heavier and 
lighter parts mixed. My experience is different from 
noted silo authorities, with regard to the distribution 
of the ensilage when it leaves the elevator and drops 
nto the pit I find that the heaviest parts fly to the 
arthest side. If there is a small ear that does not 
ay them to husk, and it goes at once into the husks, 
he elevator will throw this to the farther side of the 
lo; and in cutting field corn, the heavier part will 
-1 be over in one side of the pit, I do not want it 
is way, but evenly mixed.” 
The Cost; the Quality; How Fed. 
“ How does this husk ensilage compare with the 
field-corn ensilage as to quality ? ” 
“According to cost, the sweet corn husks are de¬ 
cidedly the cheapest, as I get a good deal of corn with 
it.” 
“ What do you feed it to ? ” 
“Milch cows and spring calves. I aim to have my 
calves gain some all winter, which is more than most 
farmers do.” 
“ Do you feed grain with ensilage to the calves ? ” 
“I shell corn and throw it with bran on the ensilage 
after it is scattered in the mangers. Eleven head of 
calves wintered last winter had not quite a peck of 
corn per day and two gallons of bran along with en¬ 
silage.” 
“ How did they come out to grass in the spring ? ” 
“ Looking fine—shed off, and as sleek as moles.” 
“ Would it not pay you to buy this box corn ? ” 
“ That was my intention at first, but I found that 
it went in in good quantities as overflow ; so that it is 
not necessary for me to buy it to make the ensilage 
richer. Another fact I have noted when feeding this 
husk ensilage to the cows, is that the butter has the 
desired color. I do not have to use coloring. When 
feeding field-corn ensilage, my wife found it necessary 
to use coloring. She also found it necessary to use it 
for awhile after the cows went on pasture, and the 
ensilage was discontinued. Now, I do not know the 
explanation of tois, whether or not the husks contain 
this property in greater abundance than the whole 
corn, but such seems to be the fact. 
“ Last year I opened the smaller silo December 1, 
and fed five cows and eleven calves till February 1, 
from it. Then the second one fed till April 25, leaving 
four feet of ensilage in the silo. The cost of ensilage 
in the pit at the customary rate for labor, stands this 
way : 
30 loads at ?5o.. 17 50 
Haulirf;, 7 ^ days at 12.50. 18.75 
Cost of elevating, two men three days. 6.00 
One horse. 1.50 
Total.133.75 
This total cost in silo, not counting wear and tear 
of machinery. This is really above actual cost, as the 
team would have been idle if not at this work, and 
was driven by my boy that could not command a man’s 
wages. 
“ This storing of husks as ensilage saved the hay 
crop of the farm, enabling me to sell 892 worth of hay, 
that would have been fed to the stock if I had net had 
the ensilage. I made a net gain of 858 25, and it is my 
belief that the stock thrived better on the ensilage 
than they would have done on the hay. The ensilage 
cost me per month for the five milch cows and 11 head 
of calves, 86 75 ; per day for the lot, 22 cents; per 
day per head, IX cent. They had corn fodder in the 
racks outside, but in limited quantities. The ensilage 
was by far the main depenrience. This is the cheapest 
way that I know to feed my cows, and the most satis¬ 
factory that I know to winter calves that the farmer 
may have a profit in doing it. 
“ Near the canning factory there is a gravel pit. 
All the husks are not tasen for feed, and they have 
filled this pit with husks, and are piling t \em up so 
that it requires four horses to draw a load on to the pile. 
They will not decay, except the outside that is exposed 
to the air. Next winter there will be an abundance of 
good feed in that gravel pit no doubt. 
“ Farmers as a rule when they feed these husks feed 
them in a wasteful manner—not knowing their value 
when made into ensilage—nor how cheaply it may he 
stored.” johx m. jamison. 
Ross County, Ohio. 
CATTLE FOOD DURING THE DROUGHT. 
HOW THE COWS LIVED THROUGH THE DRY WEATHER. 
Drought Not So Bad in North Carolina. 
We have not had the severe drought that has vis¬ 
ited some sections. While the summer, till August 
1, was too dry for our pastures—natural grasses—the 
seasons were the finest I ever saw for cultivated crops. 
And as I always, in part, soil roy cattle, I have suffered 
no inconvenience. My crops for soiling are as follows: 
First, rye, followed by pearl millet, and then cow peas 
and sorghum till frost. Were I going to prepare for a 
dry season, I do not know that I should change this. 
In addition, I have pea vines (English peas) from early 
peas, and green corn from which I have pulled early 
corn, but this does not amount to much. t. b barker. 
Green Crops ; Want More Alfalfa. 
We have been poorly prepared in the way of green 
feed for carrying our cows through the terribly dry 
season which has just passed, but we have done our 
best on the following crops, used for soiling : First, 
early in the season, we fed green rye, followed by Al¬ 
falfa and green clever ; next, green oats, followed by 
Alfalfa, second crop ; next, green corn, with second 
cutting of clover and third cutting of Alfalfa. In pre¬ 
paring for another dry season, we would vary this but 
little, excepting that we would have a larger supply 
of Alfalfa, and would sow oats very early and late, to 
have it extend over a greater length of time; as green 
oats probably give the best return of any green crop. 
Green wheat is also excellent for soiling. We have, in 
former seasons, sown for late feeding, barley and peas, 
which are excellent. smiths & fowell co. 
Advantages of Tennessee Dairying. 
I had made no special arrangements to provide soil¬ 
ing crops for the past season, but fortunately was able 
to meet the necessities of the case as follows: Our 
pastures began to fail about the middle of June. About 
this time I cut my entire wheat crop and cured it for 
hay (the freeze of March 25 having rendered a pros¬ 
pect of 40 bushels per acre a total failure as a grain 
crop.) I fed the cows on this for a time, perhaps a 
week ; then I commenced feeding winter oats, which 
were about matured, but which were eaten greedily 
by the cows, straw and all. This I continued to feed 
in connection with bran, until soaking rains about 
.Tuly 8 started the pastures and second-crop clover. By 
July 20 we had fine grazing on clover fields, and in¬ 
stead of saving for seed as intended, I turned the 
cows on, and it carried them in fine shape for a short 
time. But drought began to tell again, and I was com¬ 
pelled to feed again. 
By this time a crop of millet and “ clay peas,” sown 
last of May (one-half bushel of each per acre) was 
ready to feed, and was much relished by the cows. 
This was our supplementary ration until heavy rains 
again revived the pastures in latter August, and con¬ 
tinued showers have kept them growing so that now, 
September 17, we have most abundant grazing. Thus 
by mere good fortune we were able to meet our 
drought, which has not been nearly so severe as it has 
been in many regions. Whether it is our nearness to 
the streams, or the adjacent mountains, that have 
brought us the welcome rains, I do not know; but cer¬ 
tain it is that we have not suffered as other parts of 
the country have. 
I have no silo, hence it cannot enter into my calcu¬ 
lations, and in anticipation of need next year, I have 
already commenced preparations. I have already 
sown 30 acres of winter oats, rye and Crimson clover 
(only one acre of rye for comparison) and will yet 
sow 30 acres more of winter oats. Part of what is now 
sown is oats alone, part clover alone, and the remainder 
oats and clover mixed. This is now up nicely and is 
expected to furnish pasture from the time other pas¬ 
tures fail this fall, until March ; then the pure oats 
will carry us to April 15 or 20, when grass will be 
ready. Cows running on these pastures all fair days 
during the winter, and kept in stable at night, and fed 
dry feed, seem to do fully as well as my neighbors’ 
cows kept on ensilage without the grazing. 
The green food seems to quicken their appetites for 
hay and bran, and it is surprising what an amount 
they can eat, and the milk and butter come accord¬ 
ingly. The oats and clover left to grow from March 
1 will be large enough to cut by May 1. and will be 
cut and fed if needed. If not needed will be cut as 
soon as fit and cured for hay. If I had a silo I would 
put it in it for use in summer drought. Not having 
one, I shall sow a small amount of spring oats and 
Clay peas together early in spring for an emergency. 
A little later, a small patch of millet and peas. As 
soon as the clover and oats are cut (not later than May 
15 I hope) that field (16 acres) will be at once prepared 
and half of it planted to corn, and the remainder sowed 
to “ Whipporwill ” peas. These being a quick grow¬ 
ing and early maturing variety will be ready by the 
time, millet is gone, and tide us over any drought we 
