SILOING -LUCERNE AND CLOVER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15483, 15 December 1913, Page 11

SILOING -LUCERNE AND CLOVER.

',; I .}.':■;■}■: BY W.S. •I ■. The season for siloing and hay-making is ■ I !"t hand. Farmers possessing fields of The season for siloing and hay-making is t hand. Farmers possessing fields of Income or clover, that is, in excess of 'H' what is required- for feeding green, and ilfil intended for siloing or haying, should If-Vy watched carefully when Hearing tho • j V'jtafe at which it is to he cut. A few days I 'one w ay or tne otner at l ''' s sta S e ma ' ies I.- » vast difference to the value of the crop, Although silage is a most useful way of . ""nreserving fodder fur future rue, it has not gained favour with the New Zealand firmer as one would have thought. Ow- ■ ing to the unwarranted claims for silage which were often made during the early Jays of the silo movement by enthusiasts, both in " 10 (, ' ( ! wOr M and '" ''" conn- . try some prominent writer predicted the \ fay likely to nunc wnen dry hay would . only be grown in ' : '. v limited quantities, these enthusiasts being so carried away Jiy the idea of saving (odder in its succulent state that excessive statements and I reports were often indulged in, many of I which, bowevei, could not stand the light of further experience and investigation, Jfofvfithstandiiigg this, however, the siloing of fodder hivpii under certain condilions is an extiemely useful way of preI serving food '>r future use. | Ensilage Failures. Many failures in silage making have in the past been largely responsible for eni silage not coming more into general use. . One of the chief causes of failure in sil aire making is the absence of a proper £ iio in which to preserve it. The modern Bearing of the word silo signifies an airtight' structure used for the preservation of forage in a succulent condition. If there is not a proper structure for this . i purpose, then either the siloing will be a total failure or a great part of it will be wasted, owing to being exposed to the atmosphere. On the other hand, providing the silo is properly constructed and i the material put in is in good condition • and afterwards properly weighted down, ' fodder can be saved in this way even under adverse circumstances that cannot be properly saved in the dry condition, especially in a humid climate where wea- • ther conditions are against the successful saving of hay. Clover Ensilage. It is claimed by some writers that clover ensilage is superior to clover hay on account of its succulence and greater palatability as well as its higher feeding value. It is claimed that the last mentioned point is mainly due to the fact that all the parts of the clover plant are preserved in the- silo, with a small unavoidable loss in fermentation; while, in . hay-making leaves and tender parts . which contain about two-thirds of the protein compounds are often largely lost by 1 abrasion. The loss is, of course, very : considerable in hot dry weather, and, as would be expected, is much greater if | the hay is left too long in the swath. But if cut at the proper time and raked f into wind-rows as soon as it is ready, I aid afterwards put into small cock, as j ■■ this keeps the hay a nice colour and saves I ' .as much of the crop as possible, much j of the loss from this cause would be | I avoided. I | ' . Lucerne Ensilage. | In spite of the fact that there have been many failures in the past in siloing lu- ■ cerne, it may be cheaply placed in the : v silo and preserved in perfect condition. ; The failures reported are largely due to v.faulty construction of the silo or due to ■■ insufficient weighting. Lucerne or clover : ' does not pack so well as many other crops, : heavy green maize, for instance, and therefore requires _ more weighting, \or greater depth in the silo in order to sufficiently exclude the air. Heavy [l weighting is even more necessary when ;; there is no permanent silo and the stack • system is resorted to. In the case, of stack silage the weighting is the only means practicable for excluding the air, ■;■. so if this is not properly attended to the .: : loss from exposure will be excessive. If, :, however, the material is carefully stacked .V and thoroughly trampled down- and suffi ciently weighted,, the loss from this source -will be far less than many who have not given this system a sufficient trial would m expect. V-.J 'Preventing Loss in Stack Ensilage. :'.,-■ A method practised by some farmers to ||avoid undue loss from exposure when mak- . ing stack ensilage is to give tho stack a || coating of straw or other such material, H all round the sides and roof of the stack, ; covering the stack completely up. The .: ..way it is done is to first lav out the stack the required size, outside this lay a layer I of straw three or four feet wide, all round j,outside; this is continued until the entire ; stack is finished, when the silage stack, y with its outer covering of straw, is all gj tied and weighted together. Where straw ijsasj plentiful and the work properly done .•p this method is to be highly recommended, as it excludes the air and thus saves a gj great amount of loss that would otherwise ■ : be unavoidable in the stack system. This • | outside coating of straw will not in any way inconvenience the weighting down .or be of any inconvenience when feeding -: it out to . stock, the straw being much . -more easily removed than a lot of damaged fodder. | : The straw' should be built into the stack, -.that is to say, when building the sides ;.the straw should be built in with the outer edge of the silage stack. This : : -Holds the straw and keeps it from breaking t away. :If this precaution is not taken" the straw being very narrow, will have a tendency to fall away from the stack, ■and so the work will be of no avail. ; .- The Modern Silo. 'It has already been pointed out that , the modern meaning of the word silo is ; an air-tight, chamber for the preservation :of succulent fodder. There are often comparisons , drawn up between silage and nay, but as,far as I can see these are of » useless nature, for although silage and "ay are, v made from the same material , ; (the only difference is that thev are treated differently) yet the two products have -.altogether a different use. '-..;', Ensilage and Hay. . Ensilage consists of green fodder put y >nto a-pit, stack, or silo. The object is I » preserve green succulent fodder for use w|| en this class of food is not available ,-. Rom other sources. Ensilage therefore takes the place of roots as an article of ~■■ wed during the winter months, and al- :: Wtnigh its manufacture is substituted for ."at of hay, in a very wet season when : ni l' cannot be successfully saved, it is .not as a hay substitute that it is used ■; 'or feeding purposes. Error in regard to ~ ims led in the first place to a false estimate being made of the value of ensilage- Lucerne, or Alfalfa, as it is commonly called in America, is described in Wat country as the great forage ..Plant of the west, and in some disW?tß suited to its cultivation will vield "a« 0r ° t L oci materials per acre than perhaps ,; any other forage crop. Four or fivo cutlng!, each yielding one to one and a-half 0n . 3 of . hay, are common in these regions, ?!* yieidi. obtained are often much War, while the large bulk of the crop ' '• , saved as bay. Lucerne is also of consiaerablo importance as a silage crop. In ';:, frying districts, as with red clover, re.ports of failures in the siloing of lucerne ' y are on record, but first class lucerne sil- » - age can be made in deep modern silos, ' granting the crop is cut at the proper i \ Eta ge, namely, when most of the plants i -: "e out in full bloom. In the opinion of : § prominent dairymen who have bad large /experience in siloing lucerne, they con- ; ; -™er that sweet lucerne silage is a most i excellent addition to the larder for use 1 yuotn for winter and summer feeding. I r'i:.' ' —! i I HAD TO LAY UP WITH COLD. ff" I had a severe cokt, accompanied with . distressing pains in the chest, and had to 'lay up," writes.-Mr. Sam. Scott 56, Fitzgerald Street, North Perth, W.A. " I had £ tried all sorts of medicines, but nothing did me the slightest good. Having Chamberlain's Cough Remedy in stock, I tried that and it gave me instant relief, and I was . quickly cured. Best of all, I have remained cured." i