SULPHATE FO CARBON AND ENSILAGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2303, 21 April 1898, Page 7

SULPHATE FO CARBON AND ENSILAGE.

An exchange has the following on the abor* subject, the use of the sulphate being recommended in the case of the more (succulent tedder intended to be made into ensilage:;: — Farmers know how difficult it is to stop fermentation in ensilage at a convenient point. On account of its great humidity succulent fodder soon becomes a compact mass, in which it is impossible to find a trace of the leaves, ov at best to find them on the stalks. It is true that even in this state animals consume without difficulty almost all of the mass, but its disagreeable odour renders its manipulation very unpleasant, and there always remains a' certain amount which the animals refuse. The desire to avoid this inconvenience has caused some experiments to bet made with the silage and sulphate of carbon which were indicated by an Italian doctor. PRESSURE V. SULPHATE OF CARBON. In silage under pressure the loss of nitrogenous matter is very important in relation to feeding ; whilst in silage with sulphate tli3 loss of nitrogenous matter has been very slight, not any of the feeding nitrogenous matter being lost. In silage under pressure the increase of fatty matters has been considerable, on account of the formation of an important quantity of lactic acid ; whilst in silage with sulphate of carbon there is mucli leas lactic acid formed, whilst the fattymatters have less increased. 'The acidity of the silage with sulphide is much less high than that of silage under pressure. This point ia very important, because the silage is much better when it is less acid. It can, then, be concluded from these observations that without completely preventing fermentation, sulphate of carbon strongly moderates it, keeps the nitrogenous matters better, and gives on the whole a food almost approaching green, food. '.CREATING THE FODDER. In treating the fodder the method is to first put a layer about 4ft deep in the silo and then water it with sulphate of carbon, immediately placing another layer, again watering, and so on. Tbe quantity of sulphate "of carbon used varies from siib to B£lb for each lon of fodder. This mode of ensilage, it is considered, offers iminonss advantages. After four months the. preserved matter .had the appearance of green food a little faded, each leaf remained clean, and each spikelet visible, and each stalk perfectly distinct. The animals took the food, the report states, with the same eagerness as when it was fresh.