ENSILAGE MAKING

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LVIII, Issue 8940, 14 December 1907, Page 9

ENSILAGE MAKING

Dγ Cherry, Director of Agriculture in Victoria, says in regard to the above:—" The best ensilage is made from plants with a solid stem, such as maize, sorghum, or amber cane, while with these crops there is the further advantage that the whole of the stem, if the material is chaffed,' becomes so soft and succulent that none is wasted by the animals. Considering also the total yield per acre, there is no question that where a crop is specially grown for silo one of these should be chosen.

"The hollow , stem of cereals contains air, and this increases the loss by fermentation, even when chaffed; but in spite of jthia defect there is no better way of utilising a crop of rye or barley grown for fodder which has become overripe to be relished by the cows. If other methods of securing green fodder are available, oajfcs, wheat, and the mixed grasses and clovers are better made into hay. A mixture of peas, beans, tares, or clover, with

maize or coreals, greatly increases the food value of tho silage, aud according to Canadian experiments one acre of sunflowers with two of tick beans and four of maize makes a very satisfactory balanced ration for the dairy cow.

"Ensilage should contain 75 to 80 per cent, of water; that is, most crops should bo siloed when the flowers are all out and the grain well formed. An exception occurs in clover, trofoil, and lucerne, which should be cut wliou in full bloom and allowed to wait one day before filling into tho silo. Generally speaking a crop is ready for the silo a littlo earlier than it is for tho hay Maturity is vory important in tho caso of maizo aud similar crops which mature rapidly after tho cobs are formed. Innnaturo maizo contains littlo nutriment. "