The Farmer. Ensilage.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 7, 6 December 1884, Page 1 (Supplement)

The Farmer. Ensilage.

PAET I. paper by int. jr. jr. jenkins, secbetaby of the BOYAL AGKICULTUHAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. Silos for the preservation of green food were originally mere pits or " graves," similar to those. which are commonly seen on many English farms, and m which, potatoes, mangolds, and even turnips are stored. But howver well these rudimentary silosrniay answer n dry climates, they seem to me altogether too risky to be recommended for adoption m our pluvial islands. The same may be said of silos built with the greatest skill and the best materials if they are'hbt covered with a roof practically impermeable to rain. We need, therefore, only consider the relative advantages of those silos that are impervious to water and air at the botttom and sides, and that have a roof over them to protect the contents .from the influx of rain-water. I have compared such a silo to an agricultural jam-pot, because our domestic jam-pots arc similarly, impermeable at the bottom and sides, and while resisting moisture at the top would, if necessary, enable the escape of gasea through or around the mysterious and saturated covering, to the space between the said covering and the skin roof. A more accurate comparison, however, is one that would not be easily understood by the majority of English farmers — namely, a German sauerkraut jar ; because while the jampot conditions are the same, the cabbage which is transformed into sauerkraut is not cooked before being put into the jar. AlsOj as will b 9 seen m the sequfcl, the necessity of complete consolidation of the contends of the jar, Bb'itholk)ugh'ly i appreci!Rte'& by the'sowerkraut maker, should also be paid great attention to by those who wish successfully to preserve fodder m silos. CONSTBUCTION OF SILOS. i Experimenters m ensilage have generally constructed their silos of bricks, concrete, or stone — either entirely afresh, or by adapting an old building, or a part of one. In some cases the. . silos are above, groundj m others below ground, and :in others again partly- above and partly' belowj whether on level land or ;on a slope. The general result of my information as to the cost of constructing silos aa new buildings, including a permanent roof, supposing that the most had been made of local circumstances and conditions, is that £1 per ton of silage capacity may be taken as a fair average. Where old barns can be used wholly or m part, the .'cost of construction is almost nothing m the former case, because there is nothing to'construct, and proportionately reduced m the latter, because then only one or two walls and no proof require to be made. " Silos above ground have a great advantage m not being liable to the percolation of drainage-water} or to infiltrations 'from streams, • both of which have proved very troublesome, and, indeed, destructive m some cases. It is true that they necessitate the employment of means of elevating the materials to be put m the silos ; but, on the other hand, they render the emptying process much more easy and economical. One, advantage of the underground silo is that its roof may be placed at such a height above its upper margin that the intermediate space may be ijtsed as a kind of Dutch or Cheshire barn for the temporary storage of hay, straw, &c, until the time arrives when it becomes neces-j sary to use the silage. But owing to this limitation of its usefulness it seems that only m certain localities and on special farms could the ron* fc-5 used m practice as a hayf shed. '. ; ! CHOPS FOB ENSILAGE. I come now to the contents of the silo, and the best means of preparing them .for the process of ensilage. Of English fodder crops there can be no doubt that ordinary meadow grass is the most universal and the easiest preserved, but clover and artificial grasses present no difficulty. When green rye or oate (I am afraid to say green corn, as it may produce another American misconception) are intended for the silo, care should be taken to cut them while still sufficiently succulent m the stem, and while the grain is quite milky. This caution is even more necessary m the case of tares, which seem generally to have been allowed to get too ripe before being put into the silo. Of the crops which have been experimented with, so far as I have any personal knowledge of the facts, prickly comfrey appears to be the only one found absolutely unsuitable for en^ silage; the preservation of cabbage m silos seems to me a waste of force m our climate, except under very peculiar circumstances ; and green maize, although it makes probably some of the best and most nutritious silage, r.nd clmost the worst fodder when preserved <iry, has but a. limited interest for the British farmer. The practice of ensilage may, m my judgment, have this great fact put to its creditthat it enables us to preserve m a state fit for sale that almost intractable product of the land which is termed sewage-grass; and it also enables one to turn to profitable use coarse and wiry grass growing under trees, and m odd/ nooks, and corners, the hay from which would be scarcely worth the cost of making. '"''"'" : CHOPPING AND SALTING. Two other results of my investigations, being inferences from: the: evidence I have collected, are, that materials to be preserved In eilos should be chopped, and that they should not be mixed with salt. Ido not say that chopping is absolutely necessary, or that salting is .essentially pernicious; but I be- ! lieve that, much better silage is obtained with chopping and without salting than otherwise. A SPECIAL ADVANTAGE. ■ One special advantage expected from ensilage is that it will enable crops to be cut and pitted m wet weather when haymaking is impossible. No doubt this would be its greatest recommendation to the consideration of the British farmer ; but I may be allowed to caution all those whom it may concern that crops cut m that state require careful treatment afterwards, otherwise a strongsmelling mass of pickles will be obtained, which cattle will often eat readily enough, but which will require a considerable addition m their food of the stuff that makes thebeef. In other words, the process of fermention will proceed so rapidly under such circumstances that there will be a maximum loss of nutritive matter. '„;•: ' TBEADING. In the process of filling the silo it should be deemed of cardinal importance to tread the material thoroughly as it is put m, and not only to tread by men and women, but also by horses— on the continent they use bullocks — and, m addition, to ram like a pavior, whether with or without his concomitant grunt. Perfect consolidation m this stage is much more effective than any amount of weighing afterwards, besides diminishing the expense of the latter proceeding. WEIGHTING. .The .pressure required [ have found to vary with the nature of the crop, its comparative ripeness and dryness, whether it has been chopped or unchopped, and so forth. The heavy weights— from 1£ cwts. to 2 cwts. per superficial foot — which aie now employed m the North of England, seem to be m excess of what is necessary or desirable ; while the light weighting, or 40 lbs. or 50 lbs. to the square foot, which is met with m the South of England, seem 3 to err equally on the other siide. My impression is that with good treading and ramming, and chopped material, a weighting of one cwt. to the square foot should rarely be excelled. I can understand cases m which even that weight would be excessive, such, for instance, aa succulent grass chopped into short lengths; and I can imagine others, such as almost ripa tares, or oats, or rye, when no amount ef pressure would be too great. But- neither of these would be cases of practical or scientific ensile. One of the greatest difi}??'.ltießin connection ensilage at preser i expense of

weighting. Concrete blocks, bricks, ateel ingots, and iron weights are all more or less costly, so also are tho mechanical means of pressure that I have seen at work. The only economical method that I know of is the use of what may be collectively termed "local materials." _ I believe that a layer of earth one foot thick over a covering of boards is almost better than anything else, because the pressure is uniform and the material is practically costless. If, however, such materials as stones, gravel, slag, &c, are used, they should be put m soino kind of package, such as old guano bags, old flour or oyster barrels, &c, otherwise the weight is likely to be irregularly distributed.