Farm and Station

Feilding Star, Volume I, Issue 123, 22 November 1906, Page 4

Farm and Station

("By Young Spark.") THE VALUE OF ENSILAGE. lt would be well to impress upon the farmer the value of ensilage and the truism that sweet ensilage more than any other cured or preserved todder, is specially adapted tor the nulcn cow. The experienced tanner knows tnat cows never do well or Keep in such good health as when upon their natural diet. The grass was made lor the cow aud the cow for the glass, and they fit each other like nand ana glove. Air x< rank Jdnernian i'eer, a very able American tanner, writes: lour cattle thrive during tne summer while during the winter it tney held their own, they have done as much as most farmers can expect, even when a little grain has been added. If it were possible to supply our stock in winter with sucli succulent and nutritious iood as they are able to obtain on grass, the ditnculties above reterreu to would, in a great measure he overcome. jmisilbge comes tne nearest to supplying tnese conditions of anything- we Know ot for a winter forage. As a matter oi iact where ensilage gains so much over a dried food is in its aigestloility and palatibility. As in natural herbage, everything iv ensilage that can be digested is digested and turned into account. Witu dried todder a great deal goes to waste, and tne absence of the natural juices ot tne plant make it difficult tor tlie digestive organs to deal properly with it. Remarkable to say, tlie adding of water to a dried plant until it has taken up as much as possible does not bring it back to its original value as a teed for cows. The process of drying seems to give a different character to certain of the food properties in the plant, and they are never able to retain their first estate, no matter what treatment they are subject to. Good grass makes the best ensilage, for the simple reason that good grass is the best possible food for cows for milk production. As there ifl one particular stage of plant's growth when it can be converted into good ensilage, and that stage with grass, lasts only about a week, it can readily be understood that any protracted dela>, just when the precious time has come to cut, may very easily result in the failure of the enterprise. Therefore all arrangements for cutting should be seen to before luiud, and well beforehand too. Assuming that the stack is going to be made tf the grass, the site should be chosen, levelled, and slightly raised, so as to keep the bottom layers of ensilage from the mould. A good thick layer of manuka should be spread over the floor of the stack. For 80 tons of ensilage (about 14 acres) the stack should be about 27ft by 32ft. This arrangement is to ensure the stack being low, so that the earth can be easily thrown on it when it is finished. A good supply of coarse salt will be needed, also an iron water pipe about an inch and a half in diameter, and eight feet long. This is to poke into the stac* to try the temperature. An ordinary dairy thermometer is put up the pipe on the end of a stick. Th«J crop should be closely watched, ani when it has reached the flowering stage, a fine day should be chosen, and a few loads, say, half a dozen, cut and allowed to wither for a day, and then carted in and put on the stack. This is the starter. The pipe must be put in, and in a counle of days the temperature will rise. When it has got up to over 100 deg. and is seen to be rapidly rising, a start can be made in real earnest. The crop must be cut twice daily. From half to one acre must be got into the stack by midday, and another lot cut for the afternoon carting. It is of vital importance that the cutting should not get ahead of the carting. This is not quite so important if the weather is dull or showery. The grass is getting matured towards the finish, and the more matured the plant, the more rapid the heating in the stack. Wet weather while the building is going on helps to keep down the temperature as the stuff has an excess of moisture in it. What is carted in one day should be enough to keep within bounds the stuff brought in the day before. Care should be taken to keep the top of the stack as flat as possible while building. Commence at the outside edge and overlap the rows of fork-fulls until the centre is reached. Cross your fork-fulls at the corners to make them firm, and keep the sides of the stack perpendicular. Give a sprinkling of salt after each layer, two loads going to the layer. Some good strong props will be necessary in case the stack leans. This often happens through one side heating before the other. The sides of the stack must be kept pulled, and the straighter they are, the less waste there will be. When the fodder is all in, earth should be thrown on the top to a depth of twelve or sixteen inches, and planks can be put round the edge and fastened together at the corners to keep the soil from falling off. Firewood can also be used to good effect for weighting. Weeds can also be put at the top of the stack to give the necessary pressure. It may be added that the greener the last day's carting is the smaller the proportion of waste. DRAIN PLOUGHING. Few farmers around this district are aware of the many benefits that are derived through drain ploughing, and I fear too many farmers allow this important portion of modern farming to be overlooked without ever giving the matter a thought. As the ploughing is remarkably cheap compared with the many advantages derived, it is surprising that the draining is not more largely indulged in As an illustration of a practical farmer, I allude to Mr Pearce of Colyton. Some three years ago he had several of his grass fields drain ploughed, and many of the farmers in that locality have commented on the splendid results. This season he has again launched largely in draining, and already the advantage is noticeable. To give an instance of the cost, a mile of drain costs only 30s, and a mile of drain is recommended as suflicient to the acre. Even if a farmer was obliged to pay £2 per acre, surely the extra result attained for one season only in say a grain orop, would amply repay him. IRIBH BLIGHT. It was reported in our columns the other day that the dreaded Irish Potato blight had reached Awahuri, but 1 am pleased to say, ofter a careful inspection of the various crops in that locality by the Government officer, no traces of Irish blight could be found.

DOES THIS MEAN YOU ? Indigestion means torturing pain, intense weariness, wretched days and wakeful nights. It means starved blood, starved muscles, a starved body, and a starved brain ; in short, it means shattered health and a broken constitution unless you root it out without delay. IMPEY'S MAY APPLE is the remedy. Its reputation is based on years of success in curing indigestion, biliousness, and all disorders of the stomach, liver, 'and kidneys. From chemists and stores, 2s 6d per bottle. Messrs Sharland and Co., Ltd., Wellington, wholesale agents