48 
ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION. 
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resting in the night of numerous disappointments, until at last he succeeded in ma] 
ing a reputation for himself and a most desirable diet for the stock kingdom. It 
all so simple that now the wonder is why the world did not know it before he thougl 
of it. Goffart conceived freshly cropped grass to be the best food for stock, ar 
sought to preserve any green fodder so that when fed it should have a value appro: 
imating the choicest food of nature. Curing food by desiccation wastes many of i 
best properties, and all must agree that, correspondingly, the nearer the cattle ca 
find food to the condition in which nature leaves it, the better. At first a few eastei 
farmers cautiously ventured the experiment, and now hundreds throughout the com 
try are attesting its complete practability, and enjoying its most satisfactory benefit 
By the ensilage process the growth of the crop, as ft stands in the field, in its juc 
est state, can be saved without diminution but with important nutritive qualiti* 
added for the stock in winter. 
It is hardly credible that a field of corn with its usually stout growth, as you st 
it silked and tasseled, can be put away and fed from December to April to any kir 
of stock, more profitably than if fed as freshly cut from the field. That this, howeve 
can be done easily and inexpensively is the proposition of ensilage. 
Formerly the silo was of brick or stone, with cemented waterproof walls and bo 
tom, being wholly or partially underground. Latterly ensilage has been well pr» 
served in wooden silos and above the ground. The former kind of silo is more or les 
expensive, according to convenience of construction, and beyond the reach of mam 
The latter kind costs but little, falling easily within the rule that where there is a wi 
there is a way. The silo, of whatever character, should have smooth walls, allowin 
the contents to settle uniformly without air chambers. The fodder should be siloi 
when in full tassel and silk, The modus operandi is to cut up in the field, haul to tl 
silo, there cut into half inch pieces, throw into the pit, tramp thoroughly, when fille 
cover with cut straw, a following of boards or planks, and weight with stone, grail 
wood, or anything most convenient, about one hundred pounds to the square foo 
You can preserve ensilage without cutting by packing whole, but more tramping an 
pressure are required. Any process by which you substantially exclude the air froi 
the body to be preserved, practically accomplishes the desired result. About si 
weeks after closing the silo you can open and commence feeding. 
In feeding, expose as little of the remaining portion in the silo as possible. Tl 
food will suffer no harm from opening ; before feeding, it should be exposed to the a 
a few hours. A section of a bay in a barn dropping below the floor is a good place f( 
a wooden silo. Any wooden structure with thoroughly strengthened walls will an 
wer. The walls must be strong to withstand lateral pressure. A place 15x15x20 fei 
will accommodate about ninety tons. Twenty tons of corn fodder to the acre is 
small yield ; from thirty to forty tons ought always to be realized, if not, fertilize f< 
better results. A ton of good ensilage will keep a cow thirty days, and you can c 
your own estimating as to what ten acres of fodder will do in the matter of keepiri 
stock. Cattle eat it greedily, and with the best effect. It can be put away for sun 
mer use, to help out short pastures or to supplement good feed. It is good for tl 
dairy, the team, and all the common stock. It need not cost to exceed one dollar an 
fifty cents per ton, and two tons are equal to a ton of the best hay. In filling a sil 
a horse or steam power cutter is necessary, unless you pack the stalks whole. Witl 
out entering upon a lengthy discussion, with or without reasons to convince of i 
merits, I desire simply to submit that it is a good thing and can be had by any farm* 
who desires it. I speak from experience, having tried a wooden silo that was in a 
respects a success. 
H. B. Gurler: “ What is your experience in feeding ensilage?” 
Major Grout: u In one week after I commenced feeding noticed an improved coi 
dition of the cows. I fed in addition, hay and corn, and the flow of milk was perce} 
tibly increased. Had a wooden silo and preferred it to one of masonry ; cut some < 
the fodder into inch lengths and some half inch.” 
Prof. Henry, of Wisconsin, was called for and said that he was experimentir 
with ensilage at the state farm ; has one silo of wood, and found it working well, ar 
believed that they could be so constructed as to come within the reach of comma 
farmers; had produced 33,200 pounds of fodder from one acre. In feeding, the cov 
were tested for two weeks, and the test was satisfactory; they eat from 190 to 2 
pounds per day, with one pound of bran, one of corn meal, and one and a half of a 
meal; cows fed on ensilage require less water than those fed on other feed. Did n< 
consider two tons of ensilage equal to one of hay, but thought that 5,000 pounds of e| 
silage was equal to 2,000 pounds of fodder corn. 
Major Grout said he planted his corn for ensilage a little openly, so as to let in tl 
sunlight and air, but not too openly; if too close together it was liable to produ* 
spindling stalks, and they were liable to be blown over by the slight winds. 
