MAIZE CULTIVATION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1242, 26 September 1911, Page 8

MAIZE CULTIVATION.

AND THE SILO. Referring to the necessity for dairy farmers paying attention to .the cultivation of maize, Mr. A. B. 'Wood, writing in the "Wainu'apa Times," says that tlie bulk of the maize grown in the Wairarupa is for grcon foddor for milch cows, but lio adds, no doubt in tits near future ensilage will be undertaken with excellent results, for there is no crop more suitable for this purpose- than maize. The best feeding value from' inaiza is when the cobs are formed.

The cost of building a silo may be too ccstly for a small dairy farmer. However, it is often convenient for two or three to join together and lighten the burden of lbst cost. The size of the silo should be built according to the cattle to bo fed. When this calculation is arrived' at, there is little fear of building Hw silo too small. It is better to l;e on tho large .side. When estimating the quantity of ensilage to be givon to each cow, a guide as to f[uantity may bo fixed at 4511). per cow per d2.v, providing the stock have a grazing paddock of fair quality. The 151b. of ensilage equals one cubic'foot. Biswl upon tins, about 32 ton Scwt. Df ensilage would be required to feed ten cows during a period of four month?. Allowing for shrinkage and waste, a silo built to hold 2000 cubic .feet vrould be- required. . To provide for this a silo 20ft. x 10ft. x 10ft. deep inside measurement , would be npcessary. There is very little difference in the. weight of one .'ton of green - stuff and one ton of ensilage. If maize is selected for use, it would only require two acres (sixteen tons- per aero crop) to provide the amount to fill a silo such as the ons described. Tho actual cast depends upon the class of silo to bo built. Mr. Wood is of opinion that ensilage will, soon become a matter that the progressive farmer will pay attention to. Tho great advantages will shine out when such matters as improved quality of milk, richer , cream, etc., .ire noticed by the feeding of ensilage to dairy stock. It is an established fact that twenty tor. l ; of silage- will go as far as twenty tons of hay, not forgetting that it takes twenty tons of green stuff to make six or seven tons of hay. A circular was issued by U.S.A. Department of. Agriculture to four thousand farmer?, (Wilting them to report on tho value of silage. Not one said a word aga.inst it. A few of the replies may interest a few who have, doubts: of what silage can do:— (1) One acre of ensilaga will keep eight, head of cattle one hundred days. , (2) It will double the stock-cairying capacity of .our farms. (3) lam keeping four times the number of stock with my silo than I have been able to do hitherto: a silo filled with green fodder in time of protracted drought is invaluable. (4) It enables on-s with littla land to keep a large amount of slock. (5) I think stock can bo kept for one-fourth tho expense of any other method.