ENSILAGE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXII, 14 May 1912, Page 2

ENSILAGE.

A writer in the Journal of the Department of Agriculture has something •new to say in regard to the making oj. ensilage. He .states tliat the importance of ensilage is to a great extent determined by climatic' conditions, in the North American States, where iv has become very popular, tne winters, are so. severe that id is next to impossible to store, an appreciable quancity of roots, and hence their place as a winter fodder is now entirely tilled by! jsnshuge. Uoiag to the other extreme J of climate, in such countries as Australia, where the farmer has to con-' tend against periods of prolonged drought, ensiiage is, m the opinion <of the writer, of the utmost importance, and is the .only means of' providing, sufficient fodder, when all other cattle food is absent, except in districts 'where lucerne can be successfully grown, v tropical and semi-tropical climates, cv silage should undoubtedly- be held m reserve for periods of drought. The question then arose whether the provision of silos for ensilage was oi vital importance to New Zealand. lr ' the opinion of the writer it was not. ! although he made it clear that he aivt not wish to throw cola water on tnis valuable system of preserving fodder. In New Zealand, where labor is scarce and dear, and, in instances, where aii labor has to be hired, it was his opinion that the place of ensilage might, dp tilled by other fodders a1» a much loss cost. We were blessed with a climate that was not only conducive to the successful cultivation of roots, but also to the growing of green fodder all the year round, and for the.latter reason in particular ensilage would never become so popular or so necessary as it was in the countries mentioned above. If, is more than probable, he states, that many farmers are laboring undei the mistaken idea that ensilage can take the ptaoo of hay during the winter months, and possibly this idea has given ensilage a lift into favor in New Zealand that It otherwise would not have had. No other fodder can take the place of good hay, although good hay —especially lucerne hay —can successfully fill the place of many other winter fodders. The indiscriminate use of ensilage during the winter months has been the cause of considerable loss to the dairy farmer. In some instances cows have been actually physicked to | death. Such instances in no way condemn ensilage, or lessen its value as a dairy foodstuff, but serve to illustrate that it is a food that must be handled with considerable judgment. He was of the opinion that no practical farmer would contend that the value of a ton of ensilage approached that of a ton of good hay. His own experience was that a ton of good hay was worth several tons of ensilage, and that posr sibly the dairy farmer's opinion was [ influenced too easily by the immediate ! effect of foodstuif, and not by the effect it might have later on. Nevertheless, it is held that farmers would j jdo well to provide a stack of this useful fodder, and keep it in reserve for a time of drought.