270 
ually exclude the air as the weighted plank 
covering. 
In 1879 Dr. J. M. Bailey, of Billerica Mass., 
built the first double silo of concrete mason ty. 
and stored about 125 tons of corn ensilage, 
which, although somewhat belated in storing, 
gave him much satisfaction in feediug. llis 
report stimul ated inquiry and experiment in 
the new process. 
At the beginning of 18230 this process was 
much discussed by the agricultural press, and 
tke result was the building of some 50 or more 
silos in different parts of the country, most of 
them substantial, and many of them in the 
most durable form. This was most remarka¬ 
ble progress for a new system to make in a 
single Beason. Probably 8,OU0 tons of corn 
ensilage were preserved. The reports from 
these various experiments have been coming 
in for the last six months, nearly all of them 
favorable, many ot them very enthusiastic, as 
to it6 economy and value. Some very extrav¬ 
agant estimates were made as to the tons of 
corn raised upon an acre, but these estimates 
were soon reduced to solid f »ctiby the measure¬ 
ment of the compressed contents of the crops 
in the silos. Forty -sir pounds were found to be 
theweightof a cubic foot of ensilage after com¬ 
pression under 1000 pounds to the square yard, 
and the content of the silo was easily measured, 
audthus theyield per acre determined. The 
yields noted ranged from 20 to 33 tous of green 
corn per acre. Thirty tons may be con-idere I 
an excellent yield of green corn. This is equal 
to about five tons of water-free food, which 
is nearly five times the average yield of diy 
food per acre of our oidiuat y meadows. But 
it must be noted that the dry food of corn en¬ 
silage is not as valuable per weight as that 
from meadow grasses. 
Yet it must be admitted that the success of 
the silos built in 1880, in the ensilage of greeu 
corn has been very remarkable, and has 
given this new system a respectable standing 
in American agriculture ; but the final verdict 
upon the systtiu eau ouiy be given when it 
shall be applied practically to the preserva¬ 
tion of our meadow grasses and thus prove it¬ 
self worthy of beiag considered a system in 
stock feeding. 
Co»t of KUHlIa^e, 
Mr. August Goff art states that he is able to 
take the corn growing in a field, cut it, haul it 
tothe6ilo. run it thiough the cutter, pack and 
cover it in the riio, loi one lranc per ton—a 
little less thau 20 cents. This cannot be done 
in this country because our labor wages are 
more thau double thOBe in France. What, 
then, is the whole co*t of producing aud en¬ 
silaging one ton of corn? Whitman <fc 
Burrell estimate it at 80 cents per ton. Mr. 
Avery estimates the cost of harvesting, haul¬ 
ing, running through a cutler, packing in asllo 
and covering i*l $200 for' 300 tons, or 00 eents 
per ton. Dr. Tauner, of Orange Co., N. Y. esti¬ 
mates the cost of harvesting and puttiug in 
the silo complete 150 tons at 75 ceDts per ton. 
Mr. Chaffee, of the same couuiy, who put up 
ensilage for thirty cows, estimates the whole 
cost of raising com and storing m the silo at 
$2 per ton ; and this he considers very cheap 
feed. The whole cost of raising corn and put¬ 
ting it in the silo has been estimated I y some 
half dozen others at from $1 to $2 per ton. 
If we take the latter figure as approximating 
to the real cost, aud if we estimate three and 
one half Ions of properly kepteusiJage as equal 
in feediug value to one ton of good hay, then 
we find it as cheap as hay at $7 per ton in the 
barn. 
But the great advantage to the small farmer 
in corn ensilage ie, that he may produce as 
much cattle food upon one acre of corn as up¬ 
on four to six acres in meadow; yet the draw¬ 
back to this view is, thal the meadow piodueee 
a complete cattle food, whilst corn is i6 nut a 
complete food but must be fed with other ni¬ 
trogenous food to obtain its full value. The 
conclusion, then, must be, that all the grasses, 
including corn, supplemented by the clovers 
and other leguminous plants, must go into the 
silo together,aud these furnish complete rations 
for the production of meat, milk and wool. 
The labor bestowed per ton in ensilaging the 
grasses and grains in the moresucculentstate, 
will be even Ibsb than for corn, because the 
former can be more easily cut by the mowing 
machine and handled by the horse rake and 
hay loader, or even with the fork. 
It is alto quite probable that the grasses, in 
the fitcoudiiiou lor ensilaging, msy be put in 
the silo with less labor than they can be cured 
and put in the barn. 
It should have beeu mentioned under the 
head of the silo—that the concrete wall m y 
generally be built for 10 cents or less per cubic 
foot, and that the silo should coet not much 
over $1 per ton capacity. The greater digesti¬ 
bility of succulent grass over that of cured bay 
will certainly be an ample remuneration foi 
this new method of preserving it. It is quite 
true, however, that by some small German ex¬ 
periments it appears that grass after carefully 
drying is as digestible as in the succulent con¬ 
dition; but when these experimenters seek to 
generalize from these few and exceptional 
.cases, founding upon them a general axiom 
THE RURAL fSEW-'yOBKEB. 
APRIL 23 
that green food loses none of its digestibility 
ty drying, let us oppose to this the great gen¬ 
eral fact that cattle grow and fatten rapidly 
and profitably upon the succulent grasses, 
but cannot be profitably fattened upon the 
dried grasses or hay. Our meadows are usu¬ 
ally stocked with nearly tho same combination 
of grasses as our pastures, but who would ae- 
sert that a full ration of the beet hay would 
produce as mueh milk or lay on ub much flesh 
as the beet pasture P Such facte, open to the 
.general observation of all intelligent feeders, 
are not to be upset by a German experiment 
upon two sheep! 
« Cn»ilage an u Complete Ration. 
Conceding that the system of ensilage, which 
we have described, will preserve the grasses 
in a comparatively fresh state, how shall this 
process be applied to general stock feeding, 
making a complete ry.uem by which animals 
mav be grown, yield milk, and lie fattened ? 
Ensilage, as general y discuestd in this coun¬ 
try, has been used to signify preserved green 
corn. This siugle food is quite inadequate to 
the complex wauls of the animal system. It 
is deficient iu albuminoids to nourish the mus¬ 
cular syptem, and deficient in the phosphates 
to build the hones. Yet it is a very valuable 
ingredient in the ration of animals because of 
the large weight grown upon an acre, and be¬ 
cause it is relished by all our farm animals. 
Some of the giasrts and clovers are rich iu the 
elements in which corn le deficient. To make 
a complete ensilage r-lion only requires 
a proper combination of green grasses aud 
clovers with green coni. Corn having the 
least proportion ot albuminoids, can seldom be 
used for more than half of the ration. In the 
following table I give some of the most im¬ 
portant of the green foods fur ensilaging, and 
give only the water and digestible nutriments 
in each: 
35 Difrmible 55 i , s -4 
a | Nutrients. I c 2 £. 
A»]g- O 
a-3 5 
_o 
a. 
I a 
: = 25 
: B. a- 
t= • •< 
5-’ a. 3 
J: 3 
J1 size fermented in niloiav 
Sorghum. 
Fodder Peas. 
Fodder Outs.. 
Timothy (iru»* ,. . 
182 
nl 
1 
00 
10 
19 
0 
54 
11 
4 0 
IH 
79 
fcl 
i 
061 
8 
in 
1 
70 
4 
010 
2S 
«a 
1 
46 
a 
21 
0 
49 
3 
9 It 
20 
,82 
3 
Ml 
H 
70 
In 
46 
3 
1 II 
19 
56 
1 
1)01 
9 
10 
u 
40 
a 
9 0 
25 
87 
*1 
, 
00 
4 
M0 
n 
40 
a 
9 0 
15 
77 
a 
i 
Ho 
II 
n 
He 
7 
4:0 
19 
74 
ii 
i 
60 
IS 
47 
0. 
40, 
5 
1,0 
M 
Ml 
n 
a 
46 
7 
H 
0 
4l 
3 
5 0 
19 
81 
i 
70, 
8 
9 
0 
88 
6 
9,0 
17 
17u 
ii 
in 
it; 
0 
IJ 
50 
8 
2|u 
28 
72 
0 
• i 
64 
in 
!i 
0 
40! 
6 
210 
24 
76 
(i 
I 
901 
i-j 
U 
II 
40 
« 
alii 
21 
70 
O' 
i 
Ho 
14 
2 
0 
60 1 
a 
Ho 
23 
There are many other grasses not given in 
the above table, that may also be used, and 
some other leguminous plants, but this table 
contains all the planus that will usually be 
chosen for ensilage. Can a proper ration be 
constructed from them for growing young 
animals, for fattening animals, for producing 
milk, and growing wool? No one can doubt 
that these green foods, ptoperly combined, 
contain evety dement in the right prc>po|(,iou 
for a) 1 purposes of stock feeding. Where these 
grasses are found in perfection in pasture the 
feeder relies upon them to produce the highest 
results. 
If we examine the table, we find that 100 
pounds of green corn would give only one 
pound of digestible albuminoids. If this were 
fed to a cow that yielded 30 pounds of milk, 
it would be insufficient to furnish fhe caseine 
and albumen in the milk alone, without yield¬ 
ing any thiug to supply the waste of the cow’s 
system. The Germau experimenters think they 
buve shown the necessity of supplying two 
aud a half ponnds of albuminoids per day to 
a cow of 1,1)00 pounds weight, in milk. This 
would require 250 pounds of corn ensilage as a 
daily ration—an impossible ration But if we 
lake from the table 65 pounds of clover ensi¬ 
lage and 60 pounds of coin ensilage, tt will 
give a complete daily ration for a cow of 1 000 
pounds weight, iu milk—2 58 pounds albumin¬ 
oids ; II 37 pounds carbohydrates ; 1 4 pound 
fat. This is a large excess of fat, which will 
more than make up the deficiency of carbo¬ 
hydrates. 1 know from experiment that this 
ration will produce a large flow of milk, hav¬ 
ing fed it In just, this proportion early in Sep¬ 
tember from green corn and second-crop 
clover, both in excellent condition ; but being 
fed fresh, it contained more water than that 
given in the table, as that had lost water in the 
silo. Yet it contained liberal nourishment to 
produce a full flow of ml!k. I have fed this 
combination in several different years and al¬ 
ways with complete satisfaction. 
Let us examine Red Closer as an ensilage 
crop. As will be seen by the table, Red Clover 
is the most nitrogenous of the leguminous 
grasses there given, except Lucern or Alfalfa, 
aud this latter has not been cultivated to any 
considerable extent except in California. A 
full crop of green clover weighs more thau 
most farmers snppose. Tne writer has fed 
many acres of Red Clover for soiling, and 
carefully weighed the product of au acre in 
diffeient reasons. Ten Ions have been found 
only a good crop in a favorable Beason, and 
sometimes 12 tons have been weighed from an 
acre at the first cutting. Twenty tons may be 
taken from an acre at three euttings in the 
most favorable seasons. And as a ton of 
clover is worth about two toDS of fodder corn, 
it will be seen that the clover crop may be 
quite as profitable for ensilage as corn. It can 
be cut and ensilaged at a less price per ton 
than corn can be grown and ensilaged. If, 
then, we estimate the specially raised clover 
crop to produce 15 tons per acre, ibis would 
give a ration of 65 pounds per day for 461 
days, and it would take half an acre of good 
corn to produce the 62 pounds of corn per day 
—this is equivalent to keeping a 1,000-pound 
cow on a full ration of clover and corn 308 
days from Ihe product of one acre. This 
would be the full milking season of ten 
months, and ought to produce an average of 
6 000 pounds of milk. In this case the acre 
produces eveiything the cow consumes, and 
this ie certainly a cheap production of milk. 
The same proportional ration may be com¬ 
bined of Alsike Clover, Orchard Grass, Hun¬ 
garian Grass, or Winter Vetch and corn, when 
these shall all be put in the silo. Fodder rye 
and clover, 50 pounds of each, will furnish a 
complete ration. One hundred and twenty five 
pounds of peas and oats ensilaged together, 
will give a complete ration. So. likewise will 
100 pounds of Timothy aud Hungarian Grass, 
or 125 pounds of sorghum and Orchard Grass. 
The reader will see that an almost endless 
combination may be made from this table, 
giving the requisite ingredients for a complete 
ration. 
If, then, it is conceded that these green foods 
may be preserved in a silo in a fit condition for 
the production of milk, meat and wool, the 
farmer may feed stock without the use of 
grain and thus make his farm self-support¬ 
ing. In this way the system of ensilage may 
enable the stock farmer to continue succulent 
food to his animals throughout the year. 
Experience with Enullnge. 
I built a silo in September last, 19xlOJ feet 
in the clear, and filled it tho last of September 
with corn when ja6t in the silk, cut with a 
fodder cutter in half-inch leng.hs. It was 
firmly packed by men tramping upon it. When 
the silo was filled I put on about one foot of 
rye straw, ihen two-inch plank crosswise, then 
about 1.000 pounds of earth to the square yard. 
It wae opened on December 22 and found in 
splendid condition. The cows eat it with great 
relish. It lucreastd the flow of milk considera¬ 
bly and the milk was of first-rate quality. I fed 
about two quarts of meal aud bran toonebushel 
of ensilage per cow, aud in the 17 years I have 
been in the milk business I have never fed any¬ 
thing that gave me as much milk and of 60 
good a quality as this ensilage, or sauer-kraut, 
or swill, as some call it. I have fed almost all 
kinds of feed, cooked, steamed and raw, wet 
and dry, but I never have found anything lhat 
gave me such good satisfaction as this ensil¬ 
age. I like it so well that I shall ity to put up 
from 200to 300 tons the coming season. It is 
a success beyond a doubt. There have been a 
great many farmers here to see my silo, and 
they all think it a good th ug, and there will 
be a good many silos built iu the county of 
Burlington, New Jersey, tbe comiog season. 
One of my neighbors has built one already 
60x20 feet and 15 feet deep. He is keeping 
50 cows now ami expects to keep 100 instead 
of bis present 50. I am keeping between 30 
and 40 head at present, and imend to keep 
100 head on the same land that now only sup¬ 
ports half that number- 
Mount Holly, N. J. Jas. Lippincott, Jr. 
PLOWING WITH THREE HORSES ABREAST 
Tbji article on this subject in the Rural of 
March 26, with the illustration of evtner and 
double aud singletrees for this purpose, from a 
Virginia correspondent, showing how simply 
and easily the plowing can be done, leads me to 
speak of tbe method now often practiced in the 
prairie States. A 6ulky double plow is used, 
turning two furrows at a time, as wide and 
deep as may be required. A comfortable seat 
is attached on top of the plow, and, sitting in 
this to guide the horses, a lad 15 years old, or 
a lame or infirm persou, can petform the work 
as well and perfectly as the strongest and most 
active man. Three aud a-half to four acres 
can be thus easily plowed per d»y, costing not 
over one-half as much as to do it with a single 
plow and pair of horses, requiring a vigorous 
man to work them. When the soil is heavy, 
powerful horsc-B must be used, and these are 
now multiplying with tolerable rapidity among 
us, owing to tho frequent importations during 
the past ten years of the larger breeds 
of horses from France, Scotland and Eng¬ 
land. The produce of these stallions from 
fair-sized, vigorous, roomy mares give 
half-bred animals sufficiently powerful for 
such plowing and other heavy farm and 
road work. Thus the cost of raising this 
sort of horses is in reality no more thun that 
of smaller and less powerful ones ; for the for¬ 
mer, owing to their greater strength ai d size, 
can be put to work one year earlier than the 
latter, and this more than pays for the extra 
fee for service of the imported stallion and the 
Increased feed requisite to rear them. Similar 
teams and plows can be as advantageously 
used in the Eastern States, where the fields are 
of the size of a few acres and free from rocks 
and stumps, and not of a too rough aud broken 
surface, although if worked in inclosures of 
ten acres or more they would be of still greater 
economy. Westerner. 
Jfirlti Crop. 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL FARM. 
Our Present Wheat Experiments. 
We are often asked the question what kinds 
of wheat we would advise friends to sow. We 
cannot answer such questions even for our 
own farm, much less for those in various parts 
of the country about, which we know nothing 
whatever. Until two y-ears ago we accepted 
Clawson as the most profitable variety we 
could sow. Its adaptation to a wide extent 
of country, as well as its hardiness and pro¬ 
ductiveness, led us to continue its cultivation 
without a question as to whether it could be 
improved upon. Since, wo have ascertained 
that there are a number of different kinds 
which, in 60 far as can be j adged from the test of 
two seasons, are just as hardy and productive, 
and which will muke a better quality of flour. 
In order to test the question, still mote ibot- 
oughly we have uow growing, as our readers 
are already aware, about 80 different kinds. 
This will give ns a rare opportunity of cross¬ 
ing those which seem to possess special mer¬ 
its, as well as of determining which are in them- 
sel ves superior to tbof e which have already been 
well tested. The results of these experiments 
will be given in our Special Wheat Number, 
with engravings to illustrate marked peculiar¬ 
ities. We give below a list of the kinds sown. 
The areas vary from five acres to mere 6trips. 
We propose to distribute among our subscrib¬ 
ers trial packets of the most promising kinds 
as soon as we shall have raised them in suffi¬ 
cient quantities to enable us to do so. It will 
be seen that iu some cases the same variety has 
been planted more than once. This is either 
because of a diffeienee in the appearance of 
the grain, which threw doubt upon all the 
specimens being correctly named, or because 
the seed, received from widely separate parts 
of the country, presented differences the sta¬ 
bility of which might thus be ascertained. In 
other cases the same variety has been sown 
more than once with a view to throw light 
upon the question how much seed should be 
sown to the acre. 
LUl of WIiruIh Growing at the ltural Farm. 
Shumaker —1J bushel to acre. Sown Sept. 
28. 
Fultzo-Clawson.— A cross between Fultz 
and Clawson effected by Mr. Hugh L Wyeor. 
Fultzo-Clawson.— Cross No. 2 Square 
ear; (our grains to spikelet. Sown Sept. 24 at 
rate of one bushel to acre. Mr. Wysor deems 
this the best yielder known. 
Bentley —From H. A. Whittemore. 
Sanuosukka.— From Ohio S. University, 
Five-eighths of a bushel of Becd to acre. 
Golden Straw. — Three and one-eighth 
bushels to acre. 
Fultzo-Clawson.— Cross No 8. Ear point¬ 
ed ; three grains to spikelet. 
Zimmekmann,— Oue and four-sevenths bushel 
per acre. From Missouri College. 
B. 1 and B. 2.—New Zealand. Sown Oct. 10; 
from B. K. Bliss. 
Wtsor's Square Head —Cross between 
English Square Head and a variety supposed 
to be Wick. Sept. 24. 
No Name.—A bearded wheat found among 
Silver Chaff. Long ear; three kernels to a 
spikelet. 
Mold’s White Winter. — Sown Oct. 7. 
Selected heads from our crop of 1880. 
B. 3, B. 4, B. 5, B. 6. B. 7, B. 8, B. 9 —New 
Zealand wheats. Sowu Oct. 10; one drill each. 
Mold’s White Winter. —From Isaac Alter, 
California. Five kernels in many spikeiets. 
We counted the kernels of three heads and 
found 102, 95 and 90 grains, or 287 grains in 
tbe three. 
Fui.tz —One and three-quarters bushel per 
acre on low land. 
Silver Chaff.— About five acres seeded with 
four quarts of Timothy. This is the field upon 
which our fine crop of Mold’s Ennobled Oats 
was raised last year. Sown Sept, 23 Oet. 15 
the field was covered with the growth. Upon 
this field, as well as upon two Btnall plots, the 
“broadcast drill tubes’’were used, five of them 
taking the place of the usual nine drill tubes, 
so that the stripB of grain were as five of the 
broadcast to four of the old style. 
Fultzo-Clawson.— No. 1 cross; sown in 
small plots from one to two aud a-quarter 
bushels per acre. 
Shumaker —Sown two and a-half bushels 
per acre, Sept. 16. 
Fultzo Clawson. —No. 2 cross; sown one 
and one-eighth bushel per acre. 
Oregon —From James R. Knight. Two and 
a-quarter bushels sown per acre Sept. 17, 
