ENSILAGE FROM CALIFORNIAN THISTLES.

Waipa Post, Volume II, Issue 84, 9 February 1912, Page 4

ENSILAGE FROM CALIFORNIAN THISTLES.

AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT.

The Californian thistle, which is a troublesome pest all over New Zealand, is being experimented upon in Otago in order to find out if it cannot be put to some use in the form of ensilage. The experiment is being carried out by Mr Dibble, of the Field Instruction Staff of the Agricultural Department. In one case, at Stifling, a stack is being made exclusively from the thistle, and the mixed grasses knocked over by the mower when cutting them. The system worked upon, according to the “Otago Witness,” was as follows : “The thistles, which stand from 2ft 6in to 3ft in height, are cut before they arrive at the flowering stage, the proper time to cut them being when the largest seed button is not more than half an inch across, and the remainder of the head consists of round heads no larger than goodsized beads. At that succulent stage the woody fibre in the stalk has not developed, and it is full of sap or juice, which on twisting will exude moisture. . . . The thistles are cut wet or dry with the grass mower, and immediately Uv.n;f'.rred to the stack by m -aas of sweeps or sleighs. Th: material is h *avy and difficult to fork on to a dray, and any temporary framework of light wood and wire to wiiich a horse can be attached is more easily worked than the dray. The horses drag their loads along the ground to the end of the ensilage stack and the stuff is then lifted by means of the Manitoba hay and ensilage stacker on to the stack

. “In beginning the stack the material is cut and immediately built up on the stack till a height of Bft is reached. This quantity is then allowed to remain uncovered till the temperature rises to I3odeg. Fahr., after which the work can be proceeded with. This may entail cessation from work for one or two days, but it is important to wait until at least this temperature is indicated by the, thermometer. The temperature is ascertained by building in an inch iron pipe in the centre of the stack, the lower end of which starts at a height of 3ft from the ground. A self-registering thermometer is lowered into this pipe by means of a piece of string and the heat can de ascertained at any hour of the day. The range of temperature for making sweet, green ensilage is from I3odeg. to Isodeg. Over that heat the ensilage would be scorched and of little value. The addition of 3ft of green material daily would exclude the air sufficiently to maintain the temperature within range, but there is no occasion to stop at 3ft if convenient to add more ; 6ft or Bft might be added after the first layer rises to the necessary temperature, and no further delay is, necessary to allow the added material to rise in temperature ; in fact, the work can be henceforth proceeded with till the stack is finished.

“In building the stack the edges require to be kept higher than the centre, and the sides should incline slightly inwards from the perpendicular, so that when pressure is applied and the stack consolidated it would press out straight or perpendicular. When finished the stack is weighted by means of eaith thrown loosely on to the silo cover. This is a wooden framework which is made with a solid timber bottom of half-inch timber, on which a framework 20in high is built all round the edges, which will prevent the soil from escaping. The soil is elevated by horse-power, similarly to the green stuff, in a box so arranged that it tips at any required position on to the wooden framework. While the work is proceeding the stack is settling all the time, and a height of 20ft of green stuff will ultimately settle to ioft, so that every morning finds the stack at a considerably lower level than when work was finished. For every ton of green material used in the stack to 2lb of coarse agricultural salt is sprinkled over the stack and repeated with every 2ft of a rise ia a 20ft square stack. “Mr Dibble is proceeding to Otanomomo to deal with oats and Canadian thistles mixed, and has arranged for other denominations in the district.”