no4 
Oi* RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
iiiK !it. a radior poor crop o£ <-orn. well uudcrruii with a 
^rrowth of energetic weeds of some sort. The fact, re¬ 
mains, however, that this field has a large lot of excel¬ 
lent cow feed nearing that stage of maturity, which i.s 
required for ensiling. How will the cow peas, !<oy beans 
and corn do if put into the silo? Will it do to put 
into the same silo an equal .acreage of golden millet? 
Which will b<! better, ti> put the millet into the bottom 
of the silo, with the corn and legumes on top, or with the 
millet at the top? Would it not be still better to put 
all of the crops mentioned, mixed by the blower into the 
silo at same time? Will there be any likelihood of the 
silage spoiling if the silo is tight, and the cuttings well 
packed? If the millet is ensiled at the bottom of the 
silo by itself, will it not keep better than if put at the 
top, above the corn and legumes? What do you think 
of the idea of covering this silage with a layer of dry 
{ )ine shavings (baled shavings) ? How deep should the 
ayer be? If shavings are put on, would it be better to 
wet them, or will the moisture .and gases from the cut 
fodder act upon them so as to seal the silo? The shav¬ 
ings could' probably be used after removal from the silo 
and dried, for absorbent in the . table. A. L. bk.vkdict. 
Connecticut. 
While corn is our original and most wid(‘ly-used 
silo crop, exixu'imontors are finding that almost any 
forage crop c.an be ensiled under some condition or 
other. The acid which is fonned by tho action of bac¬ 
teria upon the sugars of the ensiled crop preserves 
the silage. It is, therefoi’e, necessary to use a crop 
which has sulflcient sugar or so-c-alled c.arlmhydrate 
material in its make-up. Corn, of course, fills the bill 
admirably. Some other crops of this nature .are oats, 
millet, wheat and rye. Cr<.»ps which contain much 
more protein in proj)ortiou to carbohydrates than 
those above-mentioned are Alfalfa, cow peas, Soy 
beams and clover. It has been found that while these 
high protein crops may contain enough iicid-forming 
material the bacteria also act on the protein and 
cause a decomposition which injures the silage and 
causes an undesirable odor. The best advice at pres¬ 
ent is to hay these crops if grown alone unless tho 
weather is extremely bad, so they cannot be cured. 
At the Kansas Station it was recently found that 
cornmeal or black str.ap molasses, 10 parts to one 
part Alfalfa, etc., made a mixture which made a 
palatable silage. 
A mixture of the high protein and high carbohy¬ 
drate feeds seems most desirable, and this year there 
will be more corn and Soy beau silage than ever be¬ 
fore. If the silage can be made to contain more pro¬ 
tein then it is easier to make a balanced ration with 
the average, quality hay grown on the majority of 
farms. 
The cow peas. Soy beans, corn and millet whicli 
3 ’ou have will make a good silage. The best way 
would be to mix the millet with the other crops as 
they go through the ma«*Mne, or make every third or 
fourth load millet as it goes into the silo. The odor 
of this silage ■v\ill not ho as desirable and eleau-cut 
as that from corn alone, but if fe<l .after milking, 
there will be no trouble. 
If shamugs are uscal on top they should he wetted 
down. Personally I prefer a covering of straw thor¬ 
oughly wet down .and sown to oats. This makes an 
airtight mat, and one that is easy fo remove wlum 
rettdy to use the silage. ir. i.. j. 
Apple Pomace and Its Feeding Value 
How long will apple pomace keep exi>ose(l to the .air 
and sun IxToro it can be carted .'uicf stored away? AVhat 
is the best way to store it, and is it necessary for it to 
be airtight? ^^^lat is the feeding value and what quantity 
should be fed to ui’lkiug cows? We have an oppor¬ 
tunity to get all we want at the cider null, and Avaiit 
to u.se it to the best advantage. F. c. If. 
New Milford, Conn. 
As to how long ajjple pumactf will keep exposed to 
sun and .air, it would depend largely on conditions, as 
it will spoil on the ontsid<; much quicker during 
warm weather in the Spring, after remaining in the 
pile over Winter, than when fre.shly mad«‘. I have 
never seen any of it .spoil in tho Fall, no matter how 
warm the weather, and it will be all right to remain 
in a pile out of doors, if necessary, until warm 
Spring weather, without much loss, but it makes a 
much nicer material to handle and fe(‘d, if put \inder 
cover by the early part of Winter. However, we have 
fed pomace from piles that had been lying fully ex¬ 
posed to weather for two or three v’cars or more. 
After removing the outside laj'cr, the rest was fresh 
and good as ever, apparently. In fact Ave luiAUf fed 
Ifomac-e where the outside discolored portion of the 
previous season’s pile had not been removed Avlien they 
started making fresh pomace in the Fall, and all was 
mixed in together; but contrary to expectations Avas 
cleaned up by the cattle AAdthout any troubles and 
if there had been any “kicks” coming, they Avould 
have told us. During a season like this, and under 
present conditions, it Avould be better to avoid, as 
far as possible, any Avaste of such a valuable food, 
and store it in time to prevent loss. 
The pomace itself, Avhen piled, Avill heat, settle 
closely togetlier, and make for itself an almost air¬ 
tight covering, and if it is the intention to feed it 
all during the Winter, the loss In any pile under 
cover will be slight, but if it is desired to carry a 
part or all of it until Spring, to be fed right up to 
time to turn out to pasture, or foi’ Summer feed, it 
AA-ill pay to make a bin tight enough to keep out rats, 
as they Avork through it, let in air, and after Aveather 
gets Avarm aaTU .spoil many times more than they eat. 
It is not necessary to store in a silo, hut for late 
keeping there could be uo better place for if. 
Convenience in feeding during Winter is one of the 
main advantages of storing under coA-er, Also a large 
]>ile of it will hold heat and not freeze in very much 
until well into the Winter, even when left o\it of 
doors, and melting snow and rain do not h'ave it as 
ni<*e to handle and fee<l as Avhen stored under cover. 
For the same reason the pile under cover Avill hold 
heat longer, m.aking it saf(*r to feed heavily. 
As to the feeding A-alue ofaiqile pomace coubl not 
say that it Avouhl ociual the very best silage from 
heavily-e.ared, Avell-matured corn, but with the best 
corn silage we Avere cA'cr able to produce, Ave could 
see no difference in results when changing from silage 
to pomace; and its feeding value is, no doubt, not 
far from that of ordinary corn silage. As to the 
quantitj' to be fed at a time, I have seen reference 
to need of cai’c in fetriing aj^ple i»omace to cows, to 
avoid injury; but after fe<*ding hundreds of tons of 
it have never yet seen the need of giving sucli a 
Avarning, unless it .should be to avoid feeding too 
heavily of pomace from piles exposed to Aveather 
during Winter, when it would be more or less mixed 
with ice and snoAV. It is: true that cattle >ire very 
fond of it, and .a coav will OA’ere.at sometimes Avhen 
giA’en all she Avill handle, just as willi otlier feeds. 
In such a case Ave merel.v skiiqK'd a meal and she 
AA’as ready the next time. When Ave had plenty, we 
fed what tlu'.v Avo\ild chain up, and Avhen a <*oav 
shoAA'ed signs of having had too much and Avas not 
liungiy for it, the pomace Avas takmi aAvaj’, and next 
feeding .she was ready for it. Cood results can be 
bad from smaller quantities and Avbcu suj)ply is 
limited should be fed accordingly. We never bad 
anj’ trouble from feeding apple pomace, excaqiting to 
get enough of it hauled, but Ave did have trouble Avith 
apple pcflings from the canning factory. Tlu‘se were 
piled the .same as apple pomace, but they made a 
very acid “silage,” and gaA'C ns a lot of trouble Avith 
lioth milk and butter before we found out the cause. 
When fial moderately, and I’ottonseefl meal cut out 
of the grain ration, tluTe Avas no more trouble, even 
AA'Uh the peelings, but the effwt of the coudtiiiation, 
ill the oleo-like results Avith the butter has mwer 
been forgotten. 
In many sections there Avill be but little fresh ap¬ 
ple iiomace this Fall, but where it has been made 
in large quantities in pi'evions years, and left in a 
jiile, even though fully exposed to the Aveathm*, and 
<‘A-en though it may contain layers that are black, 
betAveen the different j'cairs’ make, after the outside, 
discolored portion is removiMl, the inside of such a 
pile Avill often be found to be in good condition and 
prove a big help to the man Avho is Avilling to make 
use of it. .r. c. ii. 
Some Facts About Velvet Beans 
Many readers have a.sked what these beans are, 
and Avhat they are good for. We believe they Avill 
have much to do Avith the future food and feed sup¬ 
plies of this country, but like other new products, they 
must be testial and develoi»ed carefully. Thus far 
most of the Avork Avith velvet beans has been done at 
the .S(»uth—in the trulf States, Perhaps the follOAV- 
ing note from l*rof. O. W. ('arver of thi? Tuskegee 
Institute in Alabama Avill give a good idea of the 
values and u.se of this bean. 
Alitbunui and in fact nearly all the Houtliern States 
have gone almost insane on the groAving and us*; of the 
lieaii. It is iKjssessed of a great many iiossibilities, and 
is truly a Avcmderful plant. It is being fed liere in the 
Soutli to' stock of all kinds, Avitli great success. Of 
eourse there is much yet to be learned about the feeding 
of it, as many digestion experiments must be made be¬ 
fore its true value can be found out. In mj' AVOrk hero 
I liaA'o been exhibiting for a couple of years or more the 
folloAviug possibilities: For stock feed, velvet bean meal, 
ground velvet bean hulls, tiie Avbole plant as a mixed 
feed, a fiber to take the place of excelsior for packing 
and for making cushions, etc., split velvet beans for 
human consumption, velvet beau flour for making bread, 
cakes, croquettes, etc., velvet beau meal for soups, veh’et 
beau cofl'ee, and a number of Avood stains, dyes, for 
fibers both cotton and av<>o1, and a number of wood 
fillers. 
I am sending you some analyses Avliich give the 
composition of the Southern velvet bean, Avhich I am 
sure j'ou Avill find interesting: 
Velvet Beans Ground Veh'et Bean Velvet Beau 
Avith the Pods 
Meal 
Hulls, Ground 
Water.14.15% 
11.20 
14.90 
Ash. 4.45 
3.20 
(5.05 
Cr’de protein 17.38 
22.04 
4.81 
Crude fat .. .3.93 
6.82 
1.48 
Crude fiber .16.88 
3.84 
25.65 
('ar’ohydr’t’s 43.21 
52.00 
47.11 
Now the velvet bean meal. 
which 
consists of the 
l>f‘!ins ground up. pod and all, for fer-ding purposes, rC' 
September 22, 1!*17 
((uires from 2^ to (1 lbs. of the meal to equal 1 11>. of 
cottonseed meal, and those who mix it in the aboA'e 
proportions say they, get just as good results for feeding 
purposes. There is this that should he said : it is like 
any ucaa-^ feed; it must be fed cautiously at first, or 
the stock will refuse to eat it. It works nicely Avith 
black-strap molasses, and is destined, to my mind, to be- 
conie one of the import.ant feedstuff’s groAvn; and T 
think there; aaIII bo uo difficulty in it.s taking the place 
of the high-priced cottonseed meal. o. w. c.iVKVia{. 
All seem to agree that the velvet bean meal has the 
good qualities of cottonseed meal with none of the 
objectionable qualities of the latter. It should he 
mixed with crushetl grain or by-products to make a 
balanced ration. 
Shall We Use Raw Phosphate Rock? 
I notice your editorial item on page 9SC, in re¬ 
gard to the need of phosphorus on laud where animal 
manure alone is used, and the advice to add 40 lbs. 
of acid phosphate to each ton of manure. The 
fertilizer question is one of .a great deal of interest 
to me. one of many angles and one of great import¬ 
ance to all the farmers of the Eastern States at lea.st. 
What about the fmogrouud raAv rocR phosphate pur¬ 
chased in the Fall and used in the stables as an ab¬ 
sorbent during the time the stock is kept in the barn? 
According to prices quoted me this month, I cun buy 
about five times as- much phosphorus in the ruAv rock 
for a dollar as in the acid phosphate. Can you 
giA’e figures of any systematic experiments in NeAV 
York oi- Ncav England shoAving that the use of raAV 
rock ])hosphate failed to give a profit? If so, hoAV was 
it used and in oonnectioni Avith what other fertlizers? 
Can you give any tests shoAving the increase in avail¬ 
ability of the phosphorus in raw rock througli its use 
as an absorbent of the liquids of stables and mixture 
Avith .stable manure? Does acid phosphate .sobl as 
14 and HWo contain that amount immediately avail¬ 
able, and if not, Avbat per cent is auvailable at once? If 
you can give me any definite information on tliese 
points it AV’ll be greatly apprec-iated by me, and I 
knoAv AAnll be read with great interest by many others 
who are anxious to get for the money tiicy can spare to 
purcluise fertilizers that Avhich will add the greatest 
value to their crojis and farms. c. M. i.axk. 
Vermont. 
This question of raw phosphate or acid phospliate 
i^'ome.s ui» eA’<;i-y j'ear, an<l yoti can get any argument 
you like—with figures that apiiarently j>rove it. First 
understand Avlmt these phosphates are. The niAV 
Tihosphato is the original phosphate rock ground to 
a fine poAvder. The acid phosphate i.s this same 
grotind rock “cut” or mixed with sulphuric acid. 
This acts upon the ground rock to cliange its chem¬ 
ical composition and make the phosphorus soluble in 
Avat<;r. A 14 or Hi per cent acid phosphate m(;ans 
that it contains that .‘-tated amount, all available. 
The repoi-ts made liy the experiment station are 
complicativl and souieAvhat coutradictoi-y. Y'ou shonld 
read tlie bulletin.s from the Massachusetts Station 
at Amher.st, Ohio Station at Woo.ster, Indiana Sta¬ 
tion at La Fayette, Illinois at Urbaua, iiissouri at 
Columlda and Tennessee at KnoxA'ille, Maryland at 
College Park, State College, Pa. The extremes are 
found in Massaehuserrs and Illinois. Dr. Prooks of 
Massaehu.setts asserts emphatically that acid phos¬ 
phate is the only profitable form of phosphorus for 
Ncaa’ England farmers. He eoudemns the use of raAV 
phosphate, and gives elaborate figures to prove his 
eonclnsion. His Avork is very complete and is gen¬ 
erally accejded as conclusive for Ncav England. So 
far as we knoAV every agricultural scientist in the 
Eastm-n States agrees Avlth Dr, Brooks that under 
Eastern conditions the acid phosphate is the more 
profitable form. On the other hand. Dr. Hopkins 
claims that the raw phosphate Is more protitalile. 
although tho conditions in Illinois are entirely dif¬ 
ferent from these found in N**\v England. In Mis¬ 
souri, Indiana and Michigan the acid phosphate Avas 
found most protitalile. In Ohio the raAv phos]>hate 
used in the manure gave an increase of jdeld, Imt 
a dollar spent on acid phosphate gave a larger re¬ 
turn in UH)n(\y. The latest Avord from this station is 
found in a hulletiii issue*! last August. This refers 
to phosiduites used on wheat: 
On a basis of .$18 per ton for 14 per cent acid phos¬ 
phate aii<i .$8 per ton for raw phosphate, the acre ap¬ 
plications of phosphate Avould cost $2.88 and .$1.28, 
respectively. Tb<‘re remains a net return over co.st of 
fertilizer of .$4.10 p<‘r acre for acid phospliate and .$2.iH; 
for tlie raw phosphate rock, or a gain of $1.14 per 
acre in favor of acid phosphate. 
lUit some people regard the profit on the dollar iu- 
vesteil in fertilizers the deciding factor in determining 
the prolitableuess of their use. VicAved from this stand¬ 
point, acid phospliate yields a profit of 142 per cent and 
raAV phosphate rock, 2,11 per cent. Shall Ave therefore 
conclude that the use of raAV. phosphate has been more 
profitable? Let us look a little farther. The invest¬ 
ment ’n acid phosphate is greater by .$l.t)0. This ad¬ 
ditional capital cun be readily had at 6 per cent, inter¬ 
est, and tlie first crop from the acid phosphate (see corn 
in the bulletin) is.’{.97 bushels greater than from the raAV 
phosphate rock. At 50 cents per bushel it will pay the 
principal and the year’s interest and y^eld a prolit of 
295 per cent on the investment in interest, with sniiill 
additioal profits to follow from the oats and clover. 
The evidence seems to be clear that on the west¬ 
ern soils the raAV pho.sphate mixed with manure does 
give a crop increase. Except in Illinois the acid 
phosphate gave a greater increase dollar for dollar 
expended. In the New England States there seems 
to be a practically unanimous opinion that the acid 
phosphate is more profitable. 
