fodder has a practical

feeding value of two-thirds to three-fourths that of good hay.

experience fully justifies the above estimate.

[Our own

Editors, Farm and Fireside.']

Hungarian Grass for Milch Cows, Claimed better than Hay.

A correspondent of the Neio York Sun claims that Hungarian grass, when sown

make fine stalks, is better than even good hay. He sows 3

pecks of seed to the acre, on fine soil, and finely worked with harrow and

roller, both before and after sowing; and sowing any time from the 15th of

May to the 10th of June. Fit to cut in 9 weeks. Another writer thinks it valuable for horses, after having fed it two winters. Changing only occasionally

with cut oats; and he adds: "nothing better for calves and milch cows." U.9

thick enough to

,

DR- CHASE'S RECIPES.

713

sows even a bushel to the acre, and thinks it very valuable as a top-finish t«.

stacks of wheat, clover, etc., as it is impervious to water, and very little

injured, even that which is exposed on the outside of the stack remaining

sound. Two to four tons have been raised to the acre, with 13 to 15 bu. of

seed, worth $1 to $1.50 per bu., and the straw valuable for feed after threshing,

and a never failing crop, if sown on good mellow land. So, let all try it whc

think their hay crop is going to be short.

Fattening Cattle. — A few words now upon the subject of fattening cat

tie,

hogs, etc., would seem to the author as very proper; then, to close the cattlu

department with the consideration of silos, which, of late years, has been almost

continually before the mind of the agriculturist, through this class of papers,

until, finally, the government, through the agricultural department, has takeu

it in hand in such a way it would seem, at least, there can be but little chanc(

for further doubt upon the subject of which however, it is our intention to leavu

each one to judge for himself, after he has any matter properly laid before him

for examination, as we have done in all parts of this, our "Third and Last

Effort," to benefit the people.

Other people write items for their agricultural

papers, I get them together, condense, and often re-write, to make a continuous

whole, such parts as will enable any sensible man to profit by the hints, suggeSr

tions,

and practice of their fellow farmers.

First, then:

Meal and Hay for Fattening Stock — Scalding the Meal a

Great Saving. — An old farmer, whose custom has been to fatten a few animals, gives his experience as to scalding his meal, merely, instead of cooking

as has been the custom of many. He says: "My practice in fattening sheep

and swine, as well as for feeding milch cows, has been to pour boiling water ou

as much meal as would not make the animals bowels move too freely, both at

night and morning, and when the mush is cool, give it to the cow or pig. lu

covering the meal with boiling water in this way, the starch of the grain is dissolved, and the latent nutritive properties extracted, and the animal receives

the entire nutriment of the grain.

I have for 2 years past fatted 2 ordinary

sized cows, feeding only hay, and only 300 lbs. each of meal, and yielded

upwards of 40 lbs. of rough tallow. Salt was given once a week, and occasionally a table-spoonful of wood ashes. In my experience 100 lbs. scalded and fed

it,

as above, is equal to 200 lbs. fed dry."

—

—

Remarks. This is an undoubted fact a great saving in the question of

meal as he speaks of knowing others who had fed from 700 to 1,000 lbs. of

meal, without scalding, who got no more benefit than he did with his 300 lbs.

Facts like these are "worth their weight in meal," if not " in gold." It saves

others the labor and trouble of experimenting for themselves.

—

2.

Fattening Cattle, How a Yankee Farmer Makes it Pay

in Massachusetts.

— We take the following from the Springfield (Mass.) Re-

publican, not so much to show liow it was done, but to show that it can be done;

for what has been done, can be done again, ar:l if not done better than at first,

it is because

careful attention is not paid as to

ments upon the common ways of doing things.

how others have made improveIt says :

'

'

Franklin county has

DOMESTIC ANIMALS.

713

long been famous for its fat cattle, but the 47 head now standing in the stables

of Geo. W. Jones, at Deerfield, Mass., go a little ahead of anything yet seen in

They are all Durhams (see mention made of them, following what

the county.

is said of

the Jerseys, as the Best Cows.

as an open one

The question may be considered yet,

—awaiting further discussion, and to be somewhat governed by

circumstances, after all that

may be said upon the subject); great fellows, so

large they can hardly move themselves, the heaviest yoke weighing 4,600 lbs., the

next 4,400, and the whole averaging over 4,000 per yoke. They are fed 8 qts. a

day each of meal and bran, and all the hay they want; water is supplied to their

mangers in pipes. Those now in stall will be taken to Boston about Christmas,

when Mr. Jones will stock up for the winter, his usual supply being 80 to 90

Last year he cut about 350

cattle, 600 to 700 sheep, and about a dozen horses.

The cattle are

tons of hay, all of which, and about 75 tons more, he fed out.

kept in a sub-basement of the barn which has to be well ventilated during the

winter, else it would become oppressively warm from the number of cattle confined there.

Jones puts upon his own land, which lies along the west bank of

the Connecticut river for half a mile, all the manure from his stock, raising 13

or 14 acres of heavy tobacco every year, for which he gets prices considerably

above that paid for tobacco grown by patent fertilizers. In fact, he is one

farmer who has found out how to make farming pay."

Remarks.

Now, then, suppose Mr. Jones did this without cutting his

hay (having machines for that purpose), and without scalding his meal (which,

of course, he did not, otherwise it would have been mentioned), and, again,

without the addition of the molasses, as given in the next item, whereby time,

and consequently that much of the feed would have been also saved, any one

can see, at a glance, how much better it would have paid if all these plans had

been known and adopted, as every one can do, hereafter, thanks to Dr. Chase.

—

3. Fattening Cattle, to Give Appetite.— The following item,

with which we shall close the question of fattening cattle, is a quotation from

Stewart's Prize Essay upon feeding and fattening stock, which is so unique, i. e.,

so unlike anything else I have ever seen upon the subject, and yet, is so apparently reasonable, to say the least, I cannot do better than to quote what he says

in his essay, as to the use of molasses in fattening stock, by which he claims a

great saving in time, and consequently a saving of the additional food that

would be required for the longer period required to fatten them, if the molasses

was not used. It is intended to be understood, no doubt, that by using molasses

with 8 or 10 times as much water with it, to moisten the dry food, tliey will

eat more of

not given.

it, and consequently fatten in less time than if the molasses was

His ideas about cooking food is also worthy of consideration, espe-

The item is as follows:

"In fattening animals time is often a matter of importance to the feeder.

Sometimes a month gained is equal to 20 per cent, greater weight at a later

period.

Cooking food renders its constituents more soluble and digestible,

As a condiment and appetizer

therefore more rapidly entering on flesh an fat.

A small quantity of sweet, upon

for fattening animals, molasses has no equal.

cially in fattening stock.

We

bave often tried

hay, will cause a larger quantity to be eaten with a relish.

poor horse will show a

molasses upon poor animals with great satisfaction.

A

BR CHASE'S RECIPES.

714

change in condition in a few days. The molasses is not only an excellent condiment, but an excellent food; and being so soluble and assimilable that it produces an immediate effect upon the condition of the animal. Three pints may

be fed to fattening animals per day, but to cows and breeding stock it must be

fed sparingly, and not more than 1 pint per day to a cow, as too much sweet

will prevent their breeding.

When necessary to use straw for fattening stock,

the use of molasses diluted with 8 to 10 proportions of water to wet the straw

before steaming, will be found to render it very palatable, and cause it to be

eaten, incorporated with other fattening food, as readily as hay.

Some noted

chcmiists have supposed all starchy food to be converted'into sugar by the action

of the stomach, before it becomes assimilated as food.

Perhaps this will

account for the remarkable effect of sweet food upon animals.

Remarks.

— The word condiment really means something to give an increased

appetite, and a relisli for other articles of food;

and there is no doubt but what

this plan of wetting the cut hay, corn stalks, or other articles of dry food, with

sweetened water, as we will

call it, does have this remarkable effect, as Mr.

Stewart says, in fattening, and no doubt would also have the same effect in

feeding generally; unless the question of silos and ensilage shall mark a gen-

Of course that we must leave

each one to judge for himself, after duly considering the whole matter, which

eral revolution in the whole subject of feeding.

we shall now lay before him.

Bear this in mind, however, the food is found

been put into silos this molasses plan, to a certain

extent, will, no doubt, help those who have not a silo, as yet, ready for use.

to be sweeter for having

—

SILOS AND ENSILAGE— Full Explanation to Build—What

Crops are Best Adapted— Twenty-Six Questions and Answers.

— Probably there has been no subject of more interest to the farmers which has

been discussed more fully, and yet, upon which there was so much doubt as to

whether it was really valuable or not, as that of silos and ensilage; and that

doubt might not even yet have been made very clear, had not the government,

through the agricultural department, taken it up, and through Mr. D. M. Nesbit, proceeded to make an investigation into it, by addressing letters to wellknown specialists, living in different states, and also in Canada, putting no less

than twenty-six questions, which embraced all the vital points, and asking a

free discussion upon all the points, which could be of general use, in understand-

The questions were all numbered, and were all answered

and in such a manner, that each answer related to the number

of the question, and could thus be readily understood, by referring back to

the number of the question; but to put it in book form, it will be better to put

first, the question, and the answer immediately following, hence I shall adopt,

this plan, for the better understanding of the matter by our readers.

The subject was published in the Toledo Blade, September 22d, 1883.

Of course it was

not possible to publish the whole of the letters received, in the newspapers, so a

summary was prepared by the Department of Agriculture, which will give a fair

idea to those interested, as to the value and profitableness of giving a fair trial,

by those who have not already done so, of the silo. The question will first be

given then the summary or condensed answer, immediately following

I.

Q. What is the best location of silo, with reference to feeding-rooms ?

A. A few have been built at a distance from the stables, but generally the

ing the wiiole subject.

satisfactorily,

:

DOMESTIC ANIMALS.

715

silos are located with reference to convenience in feeding, in, under or adjacent

to the feeding-rooms.

Local considerations will determine whether the silos

should be below the surface or above, or partly above or partly below. This is

not essential.

Where the stables are in the basement of a bank barn, the bottom

of the silo may be on the same level, or a few feet below, and the top even uith

the upper floor.

This arrangement combines the greatest facilities for filling,

weighing, and feeding.

II.

Q. What form, or shape, is best for the silos?

A. With rare exceptions the silos described show a rectangular (longer than

wide) horizontal section, a few have the corners cut off, and one is octagonal (8

square).

The cylindrical (round) form seems to have obvious advantages. If

under ground, a cylindrical wall is self-supporting against outside pressure, and

may be much lighter than would be safe in any other form. If of wood and

above ground, the walls may be stayed with iron bands. In any case, for a

given capacity, the cylindrical form requires the least possible amount of wall.

A given weight of ensilage in a deep silo requires less extraneous pressure, and

esposes less surface to the air than it would in a shallow

sons depth is important.

the ensilage at the bottom.

For these rea-

Where the ensilage is cut down in a vertical sec,

tion for feeding, a narrow silo has the

the

silo.

If too deep there is danger of expressing juice from

advantage of exposing little surface to

air.

Q. What dimensions, or how large, ought the silos to be?

A. The silos reported vary in capacity from 364 to 19,200 cubic feet. II

entirely full of compressed ensilage the smallest would hold 9.1 tons, and the

III.

largest 480 tons, estimating 50 lbs. to the cubic foot.

Practically, the capacity

of a silo is less to the extent that the ensilage settles under pressure.

This

should not exceed J^th, though in shallow silos, or those filled rapidly and with

temporary curb is sometime?

little treading, it is likely to be much more.

A

added to the silo proper, so that the latter may be full when the settling ceases.

IV. Q. Of what should the walls be built material and construction?

A. For walls under ground, stone, brick and concrete are used, The

choice in any case may safely depend on the cost. In firm soils that do not

—

become saturated with water, walls are not essential to the preservation of ensiAbove ground, two thicknesses of inch boards, with sheathing paper

lage.

between (the latter said, by some, to be unnecessary), seem to be sufficient, if

supported against lateral (side) pressure from the ensilage.

V. Q. With what, and how, should the silo be covered?

A. A layer of straw or hay will serve in =ome measure to exclude air, but

it is not necessary.

Generally boards or planks are placed directly on the ensiThe cover is sometimes made in sections of 2 feet or more wide; oftener

lage.

each plank is separate. The cover is generally put on transversely, having in

view the uncovering of a part of the silo while the weight remains on the rest.

Rough boards, with no attempt at matching, have been used successfully.

little space should be

A

allowed between the walls and cover, that there may be

no interference as the settling progresses.

DR. CHASE'S RECIPES.

716

VI. Q. "Weighting down, what materials are used, amount required and

how appHed?

A. Any heavy material may be used.

various conditions.

The amount required depends on

It will be noticed that practice and opinions differ widely.

The object is always to make the ensilage compact, and thereby leave little room

for air, on which depend fermentation and decay.

In a deep silo the greater

part is sufficiently compressed by a few feet of ensilage at the top, so that there

waste, even when no weight is applied above the ensilage.

Screws are used by some instead of weights. The objection to them is that

is small percentage of

they are not self-acting like gravity.

VII. What is the cost of a silo?

A. The cost of silos, per ton of capacity, varies from $4 to $5, for walls

of heavy masonry and superstructures of elaborate finish, and 50 cents or less

for the simplest wooden silos.

Earth silos, without wall, can be excavated with

plow and scraper, when other work is not pressing, at a trifling cost.

VIII. Q. What crops are used for ensilage?

A. Corn takes the lead of ensilage crops. Rye is grown by many in connection with corn the same ground producing a crop of each in a season.

Oats, sorghum, Hungarian grass, field peas, clover in fact almost every crop

used in soiling has been stored in silos and taken out in good condition. There

are indications that some materials have their value enhanced by the fermentation of the silo, while in others there is loss.

The regular values for ensilage,

of the different soiling crops, can only be determined through careful tests,

often repeated, by practical men.

All thoughtful farmers would be glad to get

more value from the bulky fodder of their corn crops than is found in any of

the common methods.

There are accounts of plucking the ears when the kernels were well glazed, and putting the fodder into the silo.

The value of such

ensilage, and the loss, if any, to the grain are not sufficiently ascertained to

warrant positive statements.

IX. Q. What is the best method of planting and cultivation?

A. Thorough preparation before planting is essential. Corn, sorghum,

and similar crops should be planted in rows. The quantity of seed corn varies

from 8 quarts to a bushel and one-half for an acre. A smoothing harrow does

the work of cultivating perfectly, and with little expense, while the corn is

—

—

small.

X.

'

Q.

At what state of development is the fodder the most valuable for

ensilage?

A.

The common practice is to put crops into the

silo when

their full

growth has been reached, and before ripening begins. Manifestly one rule will

not answer all purposes. The stock to be fed and the object in feeding must be

considered in determining when the crop should be cut

On this point must

depend much of the value of ensilage.

XL

Q. What weight of fodder is generally produced to the acre?

A. Corn produces more fodder per acre than any other crop mentioned.

The average for corn is not far from 20 tons— which speaks well for land and

DOMESTIC ANIMALS.

culture.

717

The largest yield from a single acre "was 58 tons, the average of a large

area on the same farm was only 12)^ tons.

XII. Q. "What kind of corn is best for ensilage?

A. The largest is generally preferred; hence seed grown in'a wanner climate

is in demand.

XIII.

What is the value of sweet corn as compared with other varie-

Q.

ties?

A. It is conceded by many that the fodder of sweet corn is worth more,

pound for pound, than that of larger kinds, for soiling. Some hold that the

same superiority is retained in the ensilage, while others think that the advantage after fermentation is on the other side.

The sweet varieties generally do

not yield large crops.

XIV. Q. Preparation of fodder for silo; what machinery, etc., is used?

A. The mowing machine is sometimes used for cutting corn in the field

oftener the work is done by hand.

Various cutters having carriers attached for

elevated silos, are in use and are generally driven by horse, steam or water power.

Fine cutting, a half -inch or less, is in favor. It packs closer, and for this reason is

Fodder of any kind may be put

likely to keep better than the coarse ensilage.

in whole, and, if as closely compressed as cut fodder, will keep as well, if not

[And the author would say

better; but it requires much greater pressure.

he should think it would be much more troublesome to get out, and not half so

convenient to feed.]

XV.

Q.

What is the best manner of filling the silo?

A. During the process of filling, the ensilage should be kept level and well*

trodden.

A horse may be used very effectively for the latter. Some attach

much importance to rapid filling, while others make it more a matter of convenience.

With the packing equally thorough, rapid filling is probably the

best.

XVI. Q. What is the cost, per ton, of putting the fodder into the silo?

A. The cost, from field to silo, is variously reported, from 35 cents— and

—

for labor alone, to $2.00 and upwards per

higher amounts include the entire cost of the crop, not the

harvesting alone. There is a general expectation that experience will bring a

in a single instance 10 or 12 cents

ton, though the

considerable reduction in the cost of filling.

It is probable that with a more general adoption of ensilage, the best

machinery will be provided by men who will make a business of filling silos.

This could hardly fail to lessen the cost and bring the benefits of the system

within the reach of many who otherwise would not begin.

XVII. Q. What length of time before the silo should be opened?

A. The ensilage should remain under pressure at least until cool, and be

uncovered after that when wanted. [This point seems to be the most vague,

To " keep under pressure until cool,"

i. e., the most indefinite of any of them.

—how long is that? It is understood, of course, that the ensilage goes through

a process of fermentation and becomes pretty hot, but how long it will be can

only be told by the subsidence of the heat, after which, it seems, they can be

opened when needed; but I should suppose it necessary to keep them tolerably

DR. CHASE'S RECIPES.

718

all the time until fed out— not necessarily weighted, but, still,

properly covered to exclude the air as much as possible.