Ensilage

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 816, 9 November 1929, Page 29

Ensilage

A Way to Greater Profit

AT recent stock sales around the province, anc particularly at Westfield, a number of buyers have been busy on any line which shows prospects of giving a small return following a spell on good feed. Many graziers are finding feed getting away with them, and would put on stock, even though there might not appear much profit in a turnover, to keep tne feed down. Dealing with the question of the economical utilisation of surplus fodder in periods of flush growth the Department of Agricultu e recently issued a very instructive bulletin in which it advocates a greater use of ensilage on the farm.

Tfce making of ensilage should be 33 important feature in the farm work 0 ? a great many districts of New Zealand' states the bulletin; especially should this be the case in those districtß where the weather is tricky, sod the making of good hay a doubtful proposition and a source of worry to he farmer. Even in districts where cood hay is possible, it would be a better paying proposition to turn part „t the available hay material into »nsila*e.

Ensilage has this advantage over hay- it can be made just when the material is ready, irrespective of .eather conditions. Only when it is actually raining hard is it necessary to hold the work up. Ensilage has the further advantage •er i, a y that it can deal with a wide range of rough material which would otherwise be wasted. Thistles and coarse grasses which would not make nalatable hay will make useful ensilage as the process of curing softens the hard stalks and makes them edible, tt the same time it must be pointed out that poor material will not make the best ensilage; as with other crops, the better the material the better the results.

Thie fact the farmer would do well to remember, however. A good etack of ensilage is the best insurance policy he can have on hit farm. If not required at nee, it will keep for years when properly made. Ensilage is invaluable for all classes of stock, especially for dairy cows. It takes the place of roots at all seasons

of the year, and for feeding to cows a month or so prior to calving it cannot be excelled. Experiments show that, cows fed on ensilage will give practically the same return as cows fed on the best of roots and green feed: they have a mellow appearance compared with those fed on hay; their skins are softer and looser; they calve and clean up better, and come into profit quicker. As previously stated, a wide range of materials can be used for ensilage. Good pasture growth is hard to excel, and, if properly saved, the resultant silage is almost perfect. Among the special crops, oats, wheat, barley, maize and millet or sorghum, in conjunction with tares or peas, make about the best combinations. Any of the cereals, maize, millet or sorghum, will make good silage by themselves, but the addition of tares or peas increases the protein content and a better balanced ration is produced.

Lucerne also makes good silage, but being rich in protein it is better mixed with grass, maize, or millet to make It a more balanced fodder. With lucerne, farmers frequently find difficulty in disposing of the firstcutting from a field during the sprin.y at this cutting there is generally found to be a good deal of foreign matter in the form of grass and weeds; this makes good ensilage without the addition of other mixtures, and there is no better way of disposing of it. On the majority of farms there is a surplus of grass toward the end of November; this can be cut and made into ensilage with great advantage. Besides producing a stack of useful stored feed to be used in any time of shortage over a period of years, the harvesting operations benefit the pas-

ture by allowing the clovers and finer grasses to come away and form a dense green covering. As in the making of good hay, material for ensilage should be cut at the right time. Mixed grasses should be cut when the predominating varieties are in bio m; cereals, just when the grain is thickening from the milk to the dough stage; maize, when the cobs are taking on a glazed appearance, peas and tares, between the blooming and early podding stages. Many reasons could be cited to show the benefits accruing to the farmer following the proper use of ensilage. The average progressive farmer today, however, happily does not require urging; more and more ensilage Is being used to help economical production, and the utilisation of the last profitable unit of profit on the farm.