300 
THE RURAL HEW-YORKER 
8 
wool or meat, or for the proper and full nutri¬ 
tion of working beasts. No man of sense ever 
expected that the process of ensilage would 
add anything of nutritive value to the materi¬ 
al preserved by it. It has been known, ever 
since farming began, that no sort of green 
herbaceous food can be kept for winter feed- 
ing, without some loss or unprofitable change. 
The best hay is inferior to grass. It is also a 
fact that no one grass or forage plant is, or 
can be made as good and profitable a feeding 
material as a mixture of different plants, or as 
a mixture of mixed plants with grain, or with 
mixed grains or parts of grain. No wise feed¬ 
er, since feeding became an art, has been ig¬ 
norant of these facts, and now that feeding is 
becoming a science, we are learning the rea¬ 
sons of them. 
Experience, joined with science,has sufficient¬ 
ly shown that properly made silage suffers a s 
little loss as any forage preserved in any 
other way. The probability is that it suffers 
less than most if not all other feeding material 
of this class. When cut before ensiloing, silage 
is in excellent condition for feeding, and can 
be fed without any waste. It is entirely free 
from any chance of injury by vermin of any 
sort. It can be readily mixed with any de¬ 
sired sort of complementary or auxiliary feed, 
ing material, in any desired proportion and 
with great exactness. When so mixed well 
made silage is,by the testimony of multitudes of 
practical feeders, as nearly a faultless feeding 
material as we have. All complaints that are 
made against it can be readily traced to those 
fruitful sources of failure in every art, preju¬ 
dice, ignorance, or careless neglect. Notwith¬ 
standing all that is said above, I am quite 
aware that ensilage is not necessary to all 
kinds of farming, nor even to every stockman, 
or dairyman. It is more particularly adapted 
to those climates and soils which are least 
favorable to grass. It goes nearer to putting 
the light-land farmer on an equality with the 
farmer of natural grass-land than anything 
yet introduced into America. It is better 
suited to our climate, our soil, and the dis¬ 
position of our farming people than root cul¬ 
ture, its only substitute, ever has been, or is 
likely to be. On large farms it can be made 
more profitable than on small farms, in just 
the degree that any large way of business has 
advantages over a small way. Nevertheless, 
it is not inconsistent with moderately small 
farming, where there is a good chance to sell 
milk, cheese and butter. It can be used on 
such farms with fairly good culture, or per¬ 
haps profitably dispensed with when very high 
culture and double cropping are practicable. 
THE PROCESS OF ENSILAGE. 
HENRY STEWART. 
It has been observed by farmers that the 
dried fodders are deficient in some valuable 
nutritive elements which exist in the fresh, 
green plants. This observation has been cor¬ 
roborated by scientific examination of fresh 
grass and hay. Thus this existing difference 
is shown in the following figures: 
COMPOSITION OF 
Fodders. Albu- Cat bo Fat, 
min- hy- 
oids, drates, 
lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs 
Green clover.2,000 60 108 12 
Ensilage clover.2,000 66 204 20 
Clover hay . 660 54 148 11 
Timothy Grass. 2,000 68 320 22 
Timothy Hay. 600 58 270 18 
Corn fodder, green_2,000 28 168 10 
Corn fodder, dry. 320 13 115 3 % 
Corn fodder, ensilage. .2,000 30 200 14 
These differences fully justify the common 
belief that dried fodder (hay included) has 
lost a considerable portion of its nutritive sub¬ 
stance in the curb g, and as practice and 
science agree the result may be accepted with 
confidence. This popular belief, together 
with a mistaken view of the changes which 
occur in the corn fodder when cured in the 
silo, have led to some errors in regard to the 
feeding value of silage, and it becomes im¬ 
portant that some attention should be given 
to the changes which occur in this process of 
ensilage, and upon which the condition of 
this kind of cured fodder depends. There is 
danger of being misled when we consider this 
subject in neglect of its present status, because 
the process of ensilage is now very different 
from what it was a few years ago, and no 
longer consists in the acid fermentation of the 
fodder, the chemical change being arrested 
before acidity is produced. As it is now prac 
ticed, the fodder undergoes a sort of ripening, 
so to speak; a change of some of its cellulose 
into starch and some of its starch into sugar, 
much as happens in the ripening of fruits, but 
by the agency of fermentation with the pro¬ 
duction of heat, and the sudden checking of 
the fermentation at a point at which the 
change of the sugar into alcohol and the alco¬ 
hol into acid is arrested, and the fodder remains 
quite sweet and free from all objections to its 
use as food for dairy cows or other animals. 
The act of fermentation is not altogether 
well understood, and some persons who speak 
with more or less authority about it seem to 
be somewhat misled in regard to it. It is 
supposed that the change which the corn un¬ 
dergoes in the silo is the ordinary one of 
acetous fermentation by the effect of certain 
germs, which, however, is arrested at a point 
before which the acid is produced. This is 
not strictly correct. The change of sugar in¬ 
to acid is due to two distinct processes. First 
there is the change of sugar into alcohol, this 
cl r/r cr 
being caused by the presence of the well- 
known yeast germs, or cells which are pro¬ 
duced in great numbers during the change. 
This change is accompanied by the produc¬ 
tion and evolution of a large quantity of car¬ 
bonic acid, equivalent to one-third of the car¬ 
bon and two thirds of the oxygen contained 
in the sugar, or two equivalents of carbonic 
acid, as thus shown: 
Sugar (glucose) consists of CsHiaCF 
2 alcohol C 4 H 12 O 2 ) 
2 carbonic acid C 2 O 4 j 
In the old process of ensilage this change 
occurred to some extent with a considerable 
loss of nutritious substance. The further 
change which happened, of the alcohol into 
acid, however, was not, and is not, produced 
or accompanied by any inherent results of the 
presence of the yeast cells or any other or¬ 
ganic germs, being simply due to the oxida¬ 
tion of alcohol, as follows: 
Alcohol consists of C^HtiO 
(By losing H2 alcohol becomes alde¬ 
hyde, anj intermediate change 
in the formation of acid.) 
Then C 2 H 4 O 
with one atom of O 
Equals C 2 H 4 O 2 
which is the formula of acetic acid. 
This acidity was the bane and bugbear of 
the silo and gave rise to a considerable unpop¬ 
ularity and disfavor, the remains of which 
still linger in the popular mind to the prejudice 
of this convenient and economical process. 
But the new method avoids this loss of sub¬ 
stance and production of undesirable acid. 
The finely cut mass of corn in the silo pressed 
sufficiently to set up the chemical action, 
begins to ferment with the production of heat 
and the evolution of carbonic acid as in the 
alcoholic fermentation by the aid of yeast 
cells which are abundantly distributed in the 
atmosphere. By this heat and fermentation 
some of the cellulose is converted into starch 
and some of the starch is converted into 
dextrine and then into glucose. This change 
is effected first by a change in the arrange¬ 
ment of the atoms of the starch aud the pro¬ 
duction of a substance which is soluble in 
water and of a gummy character: this is dex¬ 
trine; and, second, by the acquisition of one 
equivalent of water (H 2 O), by which grape 
sugar is formed. At this stage of the yeast 
fermentation considerable heating is formed in 
the mass, which is sufficient to destroy the 
vitality of the yeast cells and to arrest the 
fermentation, just as is done with cider or 
grape juice, which are subjected to heat 
which drives off any alcohol which may have 
been formed and kills the yeast cells, which 
cause the fermentation. And just as then we 
have sweet cider or sweet wine, free from 
alcohol, we have sweet ensilage, and without 
any loss of substance except some carbon 
which has been oxidized in producing the 
heat, and some nitrogenous matter or albumi¬ 
noids which have been expended in the growth 
of the yeast cells. And yet this loss is so 
small that it does not appear in chemical 
analysis, but the analyses which have been 
made of ensilage both of corn and clover 
actually show a greater quantity of nutritive 
substance than existed in the crude fodder. 
This anomaly is explained, first, by the fact 
that some water is lost by evaporation by the 
heat of the fermentation, which rises to 120 or 
140 degrees, and so relatively increases the 
proportion of the other constituents, and, 
second, by the change of some of the cellulose 
into other and more valuable carbohydrates, 
which are alone taken account of. 
When considering the nutritive value and 
general economy of food substances it is not 
to be ignored that the results which affect the 
manure remaining are quite important. And 
as regards the value of manure made from 
silage as compared with that made from hay, 
it is reasonable to believe (although so far no 
precise experiments have been made in this 
direction) that hay manure would be inferior 
to that made from silage, if any difference 
at all should be apparent. For it is seen that 
not only hay is deficient in the most valuable 
manure elements—in the albuminoids or nitro¬ 
genous matters—as compared with fresh grass, 
but corn fodder loses more than half its nitro¬ 
genous matter in the field curing, which is a 
matter of much importance to be considered 
in regard to the value of the silo. As the re¬ 
sults of experiments which have been partially 
made in this direction have shown that the 
quantity of urine is increased, the reasonable¬ 
ness of the expectation that the whole manure 
would be richer in nitrogen to a notable ex¬ 
tent is supported, because the greater part of 
the nitrogen.of the manure exists in the urine. 
THE SILO IN WISCONSIN. 
COMPILED PRINCIPALLY FROM NOTES TAKEN 
AT THE WISCONSIN FARMERS’ INSTITUTES. 
E. G. FULLER. 
It is estimated that about 600 silos were 
erected in Wisconsin the past summer. Pre¬ 
vious to this there were comparatively few 
in the State. At every institute the past win¬ 
ter there were to be seen from one or two to 
a dozen samples of silage, taken from neigh¬ 
boring silos, for the benefit of those who were 
unacquainted with the character of the food. 
Most of these samples were of excellent qual¬ 
ity, of good color, and very few were sour. 
Judging as carefully as possible, from the evi¬ 
dence at hand, I think it safe to say that 1,500 
silos will be erected in Wisconsin the coming 
summer. Enthusiasts place the number at 
from 2,000 to 2,500. 
The ensilage boom has been no craze in 
Wisconsin. It has been a creature of steady 
growth. There have been silos in different 
parts of the State for several years; but it has 
not been until within the past two or • three 
years, that the rapid increase of the dairy in¬ 
dustry, and also the drought of the past 
two seasons, have awakened the minds of the 
farmers upon this subject. Then the progres¬ 
sive farmers in each locality have taken hold 
of the matter. 
My observations in the East have convinced 
me that 10 Western farmers will “catch on” to 
a new idea to one Eastern farmer. The East¬ 
ern man is too conservative. He is too set in 
his ways. He won’t investigate. His father’s 
farm was good enough for him. So are his 
father’s ways. His brother “went West” to 
better his condition. He has ever since had 
his eyes open for a chance to do so. Hence I 
believe that the West, taken as a whole, is 
making more rapid progress in farming than 
the East. After hearing the statements of 
50 or 60 men upon the subject, it is quite evi¬ 
dent that silos made of wood are not only the 
cheapest, but the best. A few reported stone 
silos, but the chief, and, in fact, the only ad¬ 
vantage they present is that of durability, 
while the silage does not appear to keep as 
well, especially where placed in a bank, there 
being a tendency to collect moisture on the 
walls, and cause the silage to mould. Where 
there is sufficient room in the barn, a part of 
the bay is often set apart for a silo. 
I have visited several barns this winter, 
where silos were placed in the barn, and 
found them giving good satisfaction. The 
bay is studded with 2x4 placed 16 inches from 
the center—boarded up with cheap dimen¬ 
sion boards—a layer of tarred paper is put 
over these, and on this another layer of 
boards, care being taken to break joints. To 
preserve the boards against rot, give them a 
coating of gas tar, as hot as you can put it on. 
This will strike through the boards 
and preserve them well. Solid earth is as 
good a floor as any, if placed where there is 
no dauger of water. Otherwise, it will be 
well to use a cement floor. Some recom¬ 
mended clay floors, or bottoms, slightly hol¬ 
lowed out in the center, believing this had a 
tendency to relieve pressure on the sides. 
Some reported trouble with silage spoiling 
in corners of silos. This was explained on the 
ground that the corners did not settle as well 
as other parts of the silo, and as a remedy it 
was suggested that a considerable quantity be 
left in the center at night, and when filliug 
was resumed, the hot silage from the center 
be thrown into the corners and tramped down. 
Others reported that they made their silos 
octagon-shaped by using a board 12 to 16 
inches wide in each corner and filling the 
space behind it with sawdust. 
Several round silos have been built in the 
State, and their owners are very enthusiastic 
in their praise, claiming them to be the cheap¬ 
est and best preservers of the silage. They 
are simply immense cisterns built of 2x6 or 
2x8 plank, with heavy iron hoops and man¬ 
holes between the hoops for removing the 
silage. A firm in Racine is advertising these 
round silos. They put up a silo 16 feet in 
diameter aud 16 feet high. They ship it 
“knockdown.” The cost is about §60, capa¬ 
city 60 tons. The purchaser must provide his 
own roof. 
Where silos are built outside they should be 
placed as near the barn as possible. A balloon 
frame is built of scantling from 2x6 to 2x10, 
according to the size of silo, placed 16 inches 
from the center. The inside is treated the same 
as recommended for barn silos. The outside 
of the studding may be covered or not, as suits 
the owner’s fancy, but, of course, it looks bet¬ 
ter covered. Care should be taken to have the 
frame arranged strongly at the bottom, 
to prevent spreading. In order to guard 
against spreading at the top, plates may be 
omitted and rafters spiked to studding and 
braced as at Fig. 122 with braces secure¬ 
ly spiked to rafters and studding. This 
manner of bracing is preferred to cross ties, 
because it gives more room to work inside the 
building. 
A narrow door extends from top to bottom 
of the silo. This space is closed up on the in¬ 
side by means of boards and paper, as the 
silo is filled. Many of the silos built last year 
are in two or three pits; but some who used 
one large pit, and filled in three sections, keep¬ 
ing them separate by means of a following 
board, were better satisfied thau where three 
distinct pits were used. Very little was said 
in regard to any other crop than corn for the 
silo. This gives a superior quality of silage 
and more of it can be raised per acre than of 
any other crop. The Southern silage corn 
leads in favor, on account of its large yield, 
sweetness of stalks, and proof against drought. 
In regard to the cost of a ton of 
silage, very few were able to give 
more than estimates. George A. Aus¬ 
tin, of Millsville, gave the only exact fig¬ 
ures I heard. He weighed the product of 13 
acres of Southern corn, cut from one to four 
days before being hauled. He charged as fol- 
ows: Rent of land §3 per acre; cost of plow¬ 
ing, preparing laud, cultivating and harvest¬ 
ing, teams §1 per day; men $1 per day. The 
men, he said, had to milk, etc., in the morn¬ 
ing so that they did not go to work until 
eight o’clock and they quit at five, so he 
thought the extra work paid for their board. 
On this basis his silage cost him only 87 cents 
per ton. The estimates ranged from this fig¬ 
ure to $1.50 per ton. 
Bran, middlings and a small quautity of oil 
meal are the grains usually fed with silage. 
From personal experience I would suggest 
crushed oats in the West where this grain is 
cheap, and especially where mill feed is so 
high; also a small quantity of pea meal, in 
localities where peas can be raised to advan¬ 
tage. A crop of peas and oats sown together, 
