Gass_ OL /Ges a. mH fm, COLCORD’S SYSTEM ¢~ OP PRESERVING (jREEN FORAGE WITHOUT HEAT OR FERMENTATION BY THE USE OF THE SIEOS GOVERNOR BY SAMUEL M. COLCORD DOVER MASS. ee ie) Howarp & WILSON PUBLISHING CO. 1889 Dig COPYRIGHT © ) vio x io BY SAMUEL M. COLCORD L 1889 a - ay lr woster from 2 eee Pat. Office Lik, ; Ls Aprui@ia@ Z. z ’ : us eb \ Ceram i 4 3 » a o i - y - i DEDICATION: THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED TO THE HOwARD & WILSON PUBLISHING COMPANY, CHICAGO, FROM MY WARM RE- GARD AND GRATITUDE TO THEM AS THE FIRST PERSONS TO PERCEIVE AND CANDIDLY ACKNOWLEDGE, THROUGH THE COLUMNS OF THEIR VALUABLE JOURNAL, THE GREAT IMPORTANCE AND MERIT OF MY SYSTEM OF PERFECTLY PRESERVING GREEN FORAGE. THE AUTHOR. ~ ’ i 3. rf : ca rT © ~_ hd es Te ¥ 4 Bag mnAy ; i ; 4 F , ry ‘ 20 ae i } : -; - hh oA a= fi , ‘ \ : y ‘ S Poy -7 ‘ py ~ a ‘ : : i Day H Na 7 ad : i A ! =, vi, 4, A he M t ‘ : i re it : 1 J ‘ = - : UJ y ae : ae y is bs te of : wu rims f U , ¥ J M Tub ; ' ~ ; i [ D +. 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From the New Enel eee SWEET ENSILAGE. From the Vew England Farmer, ENSILAGE A PROMOTER OF DIGESTION AND A‘SSIMI- ATION ey te Sia Seo ety ots deetht GPRoaee es wee COLCORD’S EReeeneeD GREEN FORAGE. From the Farm, Feld, and Stockman, 1880;*..%.) 292s as EXPERIMENTS WITH MILK AND CREAM. From the Farm, Field, and Stockman, 1888, . PATENT SILAGE. From the Rural New Vorker, A SUGGESTION FOR THE EXPERIMENT STATIONS. From the Mew Be Farmer and Rural New Yorker, NOOO sgais! (one. ie sy se. .oh, sig eh Sea oh soe THE PRESERVATION OF ponenace From the Report of the State Board of Agriculture of Pennsylvania, in 1888. “By.35.1073 Colcord, 2. ns eee F mas PROGRESS MADE IN PRESERVING GREEN ROE IN SILOS eos; arse. se algae. Yo ee ee 142 143 157 PRE EACE, Tus little treatise is designed to give full in- formation and explanation of Colcord’s method and device for Preserving Green Forage; and I have endeavored to write in plain, direct language, so that all persons interested in the subject may be able to readily understand and work by this system without difficulty. The treatise is arranged to give our present knowledge on its first pages; then the means pursued by which the knowledge was obtained; the proofs, tests, experiments, progressive ex- perience, theories, and certificates are given later on. This arrangement necessarily causes considerable repetition, as well as apparent contradiction; but, as much of the matter em- braced in this treatise has been published from time to time, as facts have been developed, I prefer to reprint some of the original articles, with the comments made by the press at the time of their first appearance, remarking that 8 Preface any investigator will be a Iucky man who will investigate as many years as I have and not find occasion to change his theories and opin- ions quite as often as I have done. It should be remembered that it consumes one whole year’s time to make each experi- ment, or each class of experiments, and that -it is necessary to verify the work in our own silo by the labors of other men with other silos. My silo, manipulations, and results are always open to the investigations of others. Everybody ought to know how utterly im- possible it is for any one man to make success- ful experiments in opposite directions at the same time, with opposite systems, theories, and modes of operation: one with heat, an- other without heat; one cutting forage very fine, another packing it in whole; one weight- ing with portable weights of bags, boxes, or barrels, another pressing with screws; one cut- ting down vertically, another forking off from the whole top; one making an ensilage more or less repulsively odorous, another pressing out juice in quantity, bringing it throughout to the top of the silo, removing the air and free gases, and producing a wholesome, nutri- tious food, without waste or odor. I take great pleasure in thanking the press Preface 9 for what they have done to bring my system and device to the notice of agriculturists; espe- cially the Farm, Feld, and Stockman, the Dairy World, the Indiana Farmer, the New England Farmer, the Rural New Yorker, the State Board of Agriculture of Pennsylvania, in their Report of 1888, the Sczentific American, and several papers in foreign languages that have volunteered to publish and illustrate this in- vention as a public benefit; also, those papers that have advertised my system and governor, without admitting me to their editorial columns, although they state that they advertise nothing that they cannot recommend. All the editorial and other matter herein presented as copied from those papers has been published for the benefit of the readers of the above-named papers withotit expense to me, excepting the use of my engravings for illustration. I also insert, with these previously published accounts, the remarks of the former editor of the Massachusetts Ploughman in relation to the meeting and investigations of the farmers as to the merits of the silo governor, at which meeting the following closing remarks were made by Mr. Ware: — “The chairman of the meeting, at its open- 10 Preface ing, stated that what was wanted was real experience instead of theory. It is but fair to state that Mr. Colcord has confined his remarks to practical experience and _ proofs, with corroborating testimony about the gov- ernor.” It may seem contradictory, or merely a mat- ter of opinion, that capillary attraction should be stated as the cause of bringing the juice from the bottom to the top of the silo, and holding it there, when it is also stated that carbonic acid had taken the place of the air in the silo, and that under pressure the car- bonic acid was absorbed by the juice, causing a partial vacuum, which is the cause of the rising of the juice to the top of the silo; but both these statements are true, either separately or combined. — When I had 30 inches of juice at the bot- tom of the silo, and was pressing heavily, it happened that the juice began to disappear very rapidly. I did not believe that capillary attraction could be the cause of it, and sup- posed that the pressure had burst a hole in the bottom of the silo; but, when the silo was empty, I could find no leak. I allowed the water from the aqueduct to run into the silo for an entire day, kept the water in it for a Preface II month, and found the silo perfectly tight. I then remembered that, before the silo was opened, carbonic acid had disappeared, and that acetic acid had remained in, or continued to come to the top of the perpendicular pipe above the silo. This was proof positive of what had taken place. We wash down the walls of the silo with water, using for that purpose a long-handled whitewash brush. This water is all drawn off through the governor drip pipe, and this is what is meant by using the governor to draw off water. We never put water into the forage; the corn contains more than we have occasion to use, and this year (1889) we have been feed- ing as high as 100 pounds daily of juice, but reduced the rations to 50 pounds until the excess of juice was used up. The difference in the corn crop between 1887 and 1888 was very marked, and accounts for much of the difference in our results. The last year’s crop was badly frost-bitten, quite immature, gathered and packed very wet, con- sequently it required much less pressure and gave a much larger proportion of free juice; but the screws and the governor entirely con- trolled these inequalities, and, so far as the preservation was concerned, the result was perfectly satisfactory. 12 Preface I will here express my thanks to those gen- tlemen who have encouraged me to prosecute my investigations, also to those who have given the governor a fair trial and are now giving me their aid and encouragement. I wish also to draw the particular attention of the reader to the certificate of the marketman who butchers my cows, fatted upon this forage and wheat bran, (no corn meal being used); also to the Mew York Experiment Station, in making the experiment of mixing acetic acid with green corn forage. It is valuable as showing the good effects of a limited quantity of acetic acid, and coincides with my expert- ence. But I don’t think it safe to recommend such large addition of acetic acid, as a steady diet, to ensilage as commonly prepared; the cows, as a general thing, get too much of it. Seeing little or nothing more to be accom- plished, I now offer this as my Perfected Sys- tem of making Preserved Green Forage without leat or Fermention. SAMUEL M. COLCORD, Dover, Mass, iit SYSTEM AND, DEVICE. Tue name of “ensilage” has been applied to all kinds of green forage crops that have passed through silos. It was first introduced into this country about twelve years ago, through the publications of Monsieur Auguste Goffart, of Sologne, France. The art of pre- serving green forage without desiccation has often been attempted, and has been traced back to remote antiquity; but to M. Goffart belong the invention and introduction of ensilage through silos, and to him we accord the honor. Any person who has made a study of his theory and practice, and who has studied the art as practised in this country up to the present time, will agree with me that the closer one follows M. Goffart’s system, and the less he follows the professed improvements on his system, as practically illustrated in this coun- ity, the better willl be his ensilage. And -1 feel warranted in making the assertion that 14 Colcord’s System of M. Goffart was producing better ensilage in France, twelve years ago, than is being made by a vast majority of his followers in this — country to-day, notwithstanding all their ex- periments and attempted improvements upon his system. M. Goffart, in his writings, makes this state- ment s—— “The end to be attained is ¢o prevent ALL KINDS OF FERMENTATION, before and after en- silage. Sermentation preserves nothing; on the contrary, z¢ zs always a preliminary step towards a decomposition more or less putrid, towards a REAL DESTRUCTION.” M. Goffart always worked to attain the end above expressed, as nearly as possible; and, although he claimed a perfect system and was very particular in his manipulations, his writ- ings show that he never fully realized the end he sought, but always speaks of his ensilage as heating up when exposed to the air, taking on the alcoholic fermentation, then running into the acetic, and finally passing into the lactic and other putrid fermentations. This would not, could not, have been the case if he had never had heat and fermentation in his silo. My experience is that, when there has been Preserving Green Forage 15 no fermentation in the silo, the forage does not heat up and pass through the alcoholic and acetic fermentation to lactic and putrid, but sometimes takes on a mouldy condition, which develops black rot and causes destruc- tion in that way. This may be called fermen- tation, but it is not a true fermentation. That I have succeeded, after years of study and costly experimenting, in perfectly remov- ing air from the silo, preventing heat and fermentation, and Preserving Green Forage Corn in perfection, will be demonstrated in the following pages. OF SILOS. A really good silo must be tight and strong and impervious to air and water. It should have a good foundation, perfectly drained and perfectly perpendicular, smooth, level-faced walls. If these conditions are fulfilled, it is not very material of what they are made; but, when made of masonry, all forms of lime must be excluded, as acetic acid dissolves the lime. Cement must be used instead of lime mortar. Good silos are somewhat expensive; but true economy points in the direction of dura- bility, convenience and assured success. Their 16 Colcord’s System of attachment to the barn, for convenience, should be provided for; and also the means for press- ing the forage, which is a very important item in economy, time, and convenience. Pressing by jack-screws, if properly arranged, is the most simple, convenient, economical, and suc- cessful. It is accomplished by putting iron rods, 1%4 inches in diameter, in the centre of the side walls, from the foundation up to from 4 to 6 feet above the top of the silo, said rods being made with broad flanges on their lower ends, and long screws on their upper ends provided to receive double nuts and large washers, these rods to be placed in rows commencing and ending 4 feet from each end of the silo, and not more than 8 feet apart, arranged on both sides alike. The opposite rods should be tied together across the top, with 8 x 8 timbers provided with holes, so that they may slip loosely upon the rods. The cap of the wall should be 6 x 8 timber, set back 2 inches from the inside face of the walls, to receive the 2-inch plank placed around the top of the silo for the purpose of building a light annex, or head-room, from 3 to 6 feet higher than the silo proper, said annex to be filled with forage and answering the purpose of so much solid wall. The forage placed in the Preserving Green Forage 7 annex, when pressed, will all come down inside the solid walls. Under strong pressure, these walls are held up very firmly by the iron rods, the timber across the top acting as a spring upon the forage. In this way, we feel sure of the strength of our walls, and we can get all the pressure we want. ‘The governors convey the abundance of juice to all parts of the silo evenly. 2x8 plank studding, to support the roof of the silo, should be placed upon the cap, so as to support the planks placed round the top, and bring them just level with the silo wall. In this way, all time, trouble, and ex- pense of weighting are avoided. In weighting, when the governor is used, it requires about 100 pounds to each square foot, of surface, which is equal to 200 or 300 pounds where there is no governor. In the very centre of the bottom of the silo is placed one end of the drip pipe (seen in cuts, Pigs. 1,2, letter k, page’ 41,)to “come flush with the surface of the bottom. This pipe should be about 3 inches long, made of 1%- inch pipe, screwed into an elbow at the bottom of the silo, and from this elbow should run a horizontal pipe declining 6 inches to any con- venient place outside and from underneath the wall. This pipe should end in a _L to turn up, 18 Colcord’s System of with a stop-cock in the end of the | to draw off the juice, and an upright pipe from the L to come up outside the silo (see cut, Figs. 1, 2, letter 1, p. 41), for the escape of the air and gases. The drip pipe forms a part of the silo governor, and the stop-cock comes over a little well for convenience in drawing off juice. It is usual to have 8 or 9 feet head-room above the silo wall, for convenience, and to fill the silo above the wall up into the annex, for economy. This head-room is also useful for storing the plank covering for the silo; the planks that go around the top of the silo to build the annex; the 6 x 8 timber that runs the length of the silo across the cover upon which the jack-screws are placed, and any other tim- ber or article of use. The jack-screws and blocking are placed upon the cap between the studding, so that all the timber and tools are kept at the top where they are wanted and do not have to be lowered or hoisted. Each plank, as it is removed, is placed in the head- room; and, when the forage is all fed out, everything is in place for the next season, and the silo is entirely empty. Viewed from the bottom, it appears impossible for any one to get at the top for theft or disarrangement. Preserving Green forage 19 FILLING AND EMPTYING THE SILO. We do not care to tread down the corn as we fill the silo, but only keep it level and walk over it for the purpose of finding soft spots, which we fill up level. When we get the silo full, we tread it hard and level, rounding it up over the top, even above the cross timbers, and allow it to remain until the next morning, when we level it and tread again; then put on cover, and then the 6 x 8 cross timbers 2 feet from the side walls, placing the jack-screws between the timbers. The governor being in place, we drop a thermometer, appended to a string, into the governor, to the centre of the silo. We also put a stick in the upright pipe of the bottom governor, said stick being long enough to touch the bottom of the pipe, for the purpose of measuring the juice. We take this measure daily; also take the temperature daily, and press as often as required. All the corn is cut to half-inch pieces, and is therefore a homogeneous mass. When we press it, we mark a long stick to feet and inches, setting it opposite to one of the screws. We then turn down that screw to the mark we wish them all to go to, taking the stick to the next screw, and so on, pressing all alike, measuring from the top of the silo around the wall. By so 20 Colcord’s System of doing, we press all the contents of the silo to a uniform density, the. forage slipping in the silo, and finding its level and density like mor- tar in a bucket. Now, we are supposed to have a silo full of this preserved forage, 20 feet deep, consisting Of from 1 to AGomtons, |) We have. a ‘door 4% x 6 feet, in one end of the silo, said door opening upon the barn floor, the door-sill being 10 feet from the bottom of the silo. We now roll the door to one side, and find some boards tacked onto the edges of 2 x 8 plank, fastened with 4-inch lag-screws to the 3 x 12 inch door jams, on each side, leaving the 2-inch matched plank flush with the inside of the silo. We remove the boards, then the wet sand between the boards and plank, then the side plank, fastened with the lag-screws, then the inside plank, the removal of which presents a solid wall of green forage, with every particle of it in perfect preservation and ready to feed’ out, the doorway having been secured air-tight. We cut this preserved forage down, vertically and evenly, with a sharp lightning-hay-knife, leaving a solid, smooth face, which prevents the air from getting into the forage. We then discover that more than half the feed has to be elevated from 1 to 10 feet to the barn floor. Preserving Green forage an We find that we can easily elevate or depress the cross timbers upon the iron rods any re- quired distance, blocking the ends between the cap and the washers. We then run a line of 6 x 6 timber the whole length of the silo upon the 8 x 8 cross timbers in the centre, securing them with 10-inch lag-screws. We fasten the hangers of the track to the bottom of-the 6 x 6 timber in the centre with 4-inch lag-screws. We .then place the 3% x 3 inch iron in the slots at the bottom of the hangers, fastening them by turning up the set-screws, and the track is complete. This track is furnished with a double-roller troll, and is quickly put up by any one of ordinary capacity, and is easily changed or removed with very little time or trouble. The double-roller troll, with the track and hangers, is made by R. J. Davies, Creek Square, Boston, and costs from $15 to $20. THE FEED-BOX. A feed-box, made of stock 1% inches thick, 2 feet deep, 4 feet wide outside at the top, and 3 1-3 feet wide outside at the bottom, with perpendicular ends grooved into sides 5 feet long, 1 % inches from the ends, with bo 2 Colcord’s System of the bottom projecting 1% inches all around, securely nailed on, will hold enough to feed 25 head of cattle. Being in constant use, it should be well ironed all around the top and down the ends, at the sides, and securely fast- ened together by 3% iron rods, with nuts upon each end, three of them across each end, going through irons on the outside. This box is suspended (see cut, p. 24) on a % ton compen- sated chain hoist by a chain on each side of the box, with a ring in the centre, the ends of the chains going through the eye of an iron at the top of the box, the other end of the iron being fastened to the 3¢ rod running across the outside ends of the box in the centre; also, by bolts near the chain, so that the chains will be in line from the ring in the centre to the 34 rods supporting the box from the four corners at the centre, the rings in the centre being hooked to the chain hoist. An iron axle, with wheels 6% inches in diameter, is securely fastened across the bottom of the box, 22 inches from one end; the wheels have 1% inch tread, and run close to the box, and have a wooden shield to protect them from the chain. The other end of the box should be run upon a good strong castor in the centre. This will enable the box to turn and run in any direction from the silo to every cow. Preserving Green forage 23 With this device, one man can feed all the cattle with less labor than in any other way; in fact, it seems more like sport than work. The box runs the whole length of the silo, and remains just where we want it, full or empty, at any elevation we may be removing the forage from the face of the cut. We do not have to lug any of it. Thus arranged, the device seems to be indestructible, and time, trouble, and labor reduced to the minimum. There is no waste, litter, or odor about the barn or silo. The box rolls out of the silo upon a Fairbanks scale, every ration is weighed, and it is all eaten up clean. The cattle require only about one-half the usual quantity of water: ours drink no cold water, and the results are shown at the milk- pail, thersceales, and the manure pit.. In fact, so quickly and quietly is this shown in prac- tical operation that it takes less time to show it than it does to tell and explain it. Colcord’s System of AMIBIID, © 10 13,13 IDS 18} O)d.- Preserving Green Forage 25 DESCRIPTION OF THE FEED-BOX. The cut represents a feed-box capable of holding the rations for 25 head of cattle, show- ing its construction, also the compensated chain hoist and the double-roller troll which runs upon the track over the silo. When the box is lowered upon the barn floor, the chains are unhooked from the hoist, and the rings, by which it is shown as suspended, are placed in the hooks upon each side of the box, leaving the top of the box perfectly free and without any obstruction, the wheels at the bottom allowing the box to turn and run in any direc- tion. In practical use, it works perfectly, and is found to be the most convenient and expe- ditious way of conveying the forage from the silo to the cattle. The feed-box is hoisted and lowered by an endless chain. Said chain is shown in the cut as hanging loosely against the sides of the box; but quite a large portion of its length is omitted in the cut, for the purpose of saving the room it would occupy on the page of the book. The two broken ends from which the’ omitted portion was severed are shown in the cut as hanging a little below the bottom of the box. 26 Colcord’s Systent of WEIGHTING THE SILO. Weighting has always been the great objec- tion to silos: how to put on and take off 20 to 4o tons of weight, when time is precious, and to do it cleanly and neatly, keeping dirt, stones, chips, etc., out of the forage, and not making a litter about the barn, to say nothing of the continual expense, especially when the weighting has to be hoisted and lowered. Boxes and barrels are constantly coming to pieces, and not convenient to handle. Of course, the weight upon the forage is what we must have, and the cheapest way to get it there is by some thought to be the best; but, in taking the weight off, it is very important to keep it upon every plank that you do not take off, to enable you to make the vertical cut on the forage when removing it to feed out. I will here suggest the best method of weight- mes) bake!a-yorece sof board, 1 inchs thick inches long, and 16 inches wide, for the bottom of a box, 2 pieces 18 inches long and 24 inches wide for the sides, and 2 pieces 25 inches long and 10 inches wide for the ends. Place the sides oz the upper surface of the bottom, and the ends on the vertical ends of the bottom; nail them firmly together, and you will have a Preserving Green Forage 27 box in which none of the nails will be driven into the wood parallel with the grain, and each attachment will act as a cleat across the boards, to prevent their warping or splitting. These boxes are intended to be placed close together upon the 2 x 12 inch plank covering the silo, said boxes having no cleats on the outside. Put cleats 2% inches wide, bevelled at the top, across the ends on the inside of the box. Two men can use these cleats as handles, and also to hoist with, by using an 4 shaped iron having an eye in its top, and turned out one inch each side at the bottom, to go under the cleats. They may be filled with sand or loam for bedding and to absorb liquid manure, or may be used for gravel for weighting only. For strength, durability, and convenience, they are unrivalled. The word “long,” as used above, means measuring wth the grain, and the word “wide” means measuring crosswise of the grain. As it is sometimes very difficult to find boards 24 inches wide crosswise of the grain, 4 pieces 18 inches long and 12 inches wide will serve to make the sides, instead of the 18 x 24 inch stuff. Two hundred and fifty boxes, made in the above manner, at 25 cents each, would cost $62.50. Flour barrels would cost about half 28 Colcord’s System of that price, and iron rods and jack-screws would cost about $62.50. The boxes would last 31 years, or $2.00 a year; the barrels, 3 years, or $10.00 a year; the screws and rods, 70 years, or, say, $1.00 a year. But the time, accuracy, and convenience of the screws would more than double the economy of the boxes or barrels, and should be reckoned at only 50 cents a year. I esteem the value of the rods, for strength and security, fully equal to their value in pressing the forage; and, if I were building a cheap wooden silo, I should put them in, first building a good 18-inch cement wall, 3 feet high, upon a good foundation, well drained, setting my wood silo upon it, putting a timber between each rod and the inside double boarding, with 2 x 12 inch studding, filled around the bottom with cement and gravel, and between the out and inside board- ing with sawdust to keep out the frost. I would also spike 2-inch plank firmly around the outside, at the top, middle, and bottom, because you want to be sure of your 8 or Io months’ food for your cattle, and silos are so difficult and expensive to repair, if the walls give way. Built in this way, wooden silos are easily converted into cement ones, which are sure to be wanted in the future, and are always permanent and require no repairs. Preserving Green Forage 29 There are other methods of getting pressure, —with levers, also with water; but these are no cheaper and not so convenient, because with jack-screws, costing from $2 to $4 each, you can remove the screws and blocking at pleasure, and set them back as you cut down, keeping the pressure on, which is a great advantage. But with water, even if you have an aqueduct to run the water in and out the barrels with a hose, the water may freeze; and the barrels are always in the way and cost more than to press with screws and rods. It does not work well to have a double cover running lengthwise and crosswise the silo, for you cannot remove part of it atatime. The best cover is 2-inch plank, laid directly upon the forage, with 6 x 6 timber laid across length- wise, about 3 feet from the side walls, to keep the plank level. Uncover no faster than you cut down. I have found by repeated examina- tions that, when you uncover,the whole top to feed out, by forking it off, the top, owing to exposure to the air, is about twice as sour as it is about 2 feet below where you fork from, so that. the stock get twice as much acid as there is any occasion for, and often more than is healthy. 30 Colcord’s System of THE CROP TO PRESERVE. Almost any kind of green forage can be preserved in silos. The general conditions to be observed, in putting it in the silo, are to have it a homogeneous mass when pressed. For this reason it should be cut fine, especially when the stalks are coarse and hard like corn. It is much better to have but one kind of fod- der in the silo at the same time, for the reason that the softest kind, if more than one variety is used, will pack quicker, and hard enough to prevent the escape of air and gas. The air and gas will collect in spots, and set up heat and fermentation; but, if the mass is in uni- form condition, evenly spread and pressed, the air may all be removed from it without diff- culty, which will insure good preserved forage. There may be cases where there is a heavy crop of coarse marsh grass, fresh or salt, which does not require cultivation, and is convenient to the silo, that would pay to cut up and pre- serve, in which case it would greatly enhance its value for feeding. There are sections at the South where some heavy crops grow without cultivation that would make good feed for cattle, and would Preserving Green Forage a1 be greatly increased in feeding value by pres- ervation in the silo, but which would be com- paratively valueless preserved by desiccation. A case in point is the Roman wormwood, the common ragweed of the North, which I have known to be ensiloed, and is said to have made a very palatable food. But to raise a crop of anything else for the silo, on land upon which Indian corn will grow, seems to be a waste of time and money. It is better to plough under the crop of weeds before they go to seed, and plant a crop of mammoth ensilage corn. When you do this, you are feeding the land as well as the cattle, at the same time, much more economically. MANAGEMENT OF THE CROP. Indian corn, above all other plants, is the crop for the silo, because it is the best food, is greatly increased in feeding value by soaking in its own juice in the silo under pressure, is a great appetizer in this form, is more assimi- lable as food, and the plant, or corn, in the milk does not have the injurious effect of corn- meal. From 20 to 40 tons can be raised to the acre of land, 3 tons of it being equal in feeding value to 1 ton of hay. It is easily a2 Colcord’s System of planted in drills, 3 feet apart, one kernel every 6 inches, by an Eclipse Corn Planter, which plants 500 pounds of fertilizer in the drill, at the same time covering it and the corn, and rolling it all, at one operation, at the rate of 4 acres daily. The best ‘results I have had in crops have been obtained by using J. A. Tucker & Co.’s Bay State Superphosphates, 500 pounds being spread broadcast upon small loads of manure by a manure spreader, harrowed in, 500 pounds also in the drill, as above stated; and I will here add that one of the best things about the Eclipse Planter is that every kernel of the corn comes up evenly, and the crows will never pull up any of it. About the seed I plant, I have had the best results from C. H. Thompson & Co.’s “ Mam- moth Ensilage” and the “ Red Cob Ensilage ” from St. Louis. When there is a good oppor- tunity to market sweet corn, the best of it can be selected for market, leaving the forage in good condition for the silo. The best variety I have found for this purpose is “ Stowel’s Evergreen.” In estimating the capacity of the silo, after the forage is heavily pressed, a cubic-foot will weigh about 50 pounds, usually a trifle under, Preserving Green Forage 33 so that it is very easy to calculate how much to plant, how much to feed, and how long it will last. The “Dr. Bailey’s Ensilage Cutter” will cut and elevate from 40 to roo tons daily, with a 6 to 8 horse-power engine and boiler. The corn can be harvested and put into the silo in almost any weather, hot or cold, dry or wet (unless it rains too hard to work in the field), with less trouble, in less time, more security, and greater surety of perfect preservation, than any fodder crop can be harvested in any other way. We have the statement of M. Goffart, who has tried it for many years, that Indian corn can be raised continuously, year after year, upon the same ground, by spreading upon the manure piles, each week, 100 pounds of ground bone to the equivalent of manure used upon an acre of land. I give my authority for this statement, because I have not tried it in this way. M. Goffart also states that he raises about 40 tons of fodder corn to the acre, upon land fertilized in this way, upon the same land continuously, and the forage keeps his cattle in perfect health year after year. * 34 Colcord’s Systent of FERMENTATION IN SILOS. Chemistry teaches us that fermentation , takes place in the following order: first, the saccharine; second, the alcoholic; third, the acetic ; fourth, the lactic; then ja variety of other fermentations, either in quick succession or found to exist at the same time in the same substance. These transformations are accom- panied with heat. At the fourth change, the heat is generally above 86°, and germs of bacteria are developed, and we have true fer- mentation, with continued evolution of Car- bonic and Acetic Acids, in connection with a variety of putrid fermentations. These con- tinue with rapid decomposition and recomposi- tion, with increasing heat, until the mass goes to destruction, more or less quickly. In silos, these germs of bacteria are sup- posed to get into the silos with the air, at the time of filling. They develop very rapidly, and multiply indefinitely, by subdivision. The germs will germinate into living activity at 86° of heat, and will germinate after exposure to a heat of 212° for some hours; but the devel- oped bacteria will be killed at a temperature as low as 122°. Bacteria live upon oxygen, Preserving Green Forage 35 which they may get from the air, or they may get it from the sugar and starch in the corn, direct, without air. They live and thrive in an atmosphere of carbonic acid. Now, with this explanation, how is it possi. ble for corn to be placed with safety in a silo slowly, when mixed with all the air possible to get in with it, heating in the centre enough to kill bacteria, and toward the sides the proper temperature to develop germs into the greatest activity, the bacteria in the mean time multiplying indefinitely by subdivision in the best medium, sugar and starch, for supporting their life— I ask how is it possible to stop such fermentation before the contents of the silo spoil? On the other hand, suppose the heat does not rise above 86°, true fermentation does not take place, but the action of the air upon the forage, with moisture, develops a fungus growth upon the outside of the forage, which may continue, passing through mould and black rot to destruction. This often happens in corn fodder when the process of desiccation has been imperfectly performed, but true fer- mentation in the silo evolves and often ends in a light or dirty yellow residuum, with foul odors, more or less pronounced, nauseating 36 Colcord’s System of and offensive. These conditions are usually found after heat and fermentation, just in pro- portion to the amount of air taken into and retained in the silo. I have endeavored to give a rationale, as I understand it, of the process of fermentation found in the silo. But in my practical obser- tions I have found that, as quickly as I could fill my silo, Carbonzc Acid was also there, in guantity, the morning after the first day, and Acetic Acid, in guantity, the morning after the second day. My natural senses did not detect the presence of the saccharine or alco- holic fermentation. I did not get up in the night to call the roll, but found the substitutes in the morning, and have never since seen the delinquents to know them. I don’t propose to contradict science, but I do propose to apply and use it according to my experience, and the HARD, COLD FACTS which have confronted me. I know that, if I get all the air out of my silo, I do not have heat or fermentation, conse- quently no loss of fodder and no foul odor; and I have come to look upon Caréonze and Acetic Acids aS MY FRIENDS, In consequence of their early calls and assistance, in helping me to develop and perfect my system of perfectly Preserving Green Forage in its best condition. Preserving Green Forage 37 THE SILO GOVERNOR. Whenever forage is pressed in a silo, it packs where it is most dense, and becomes so hard that the air can neither get out of the corn nor out of the silo. It therefore re- mains in, and is pressed into the forage, which causes it to heat and ferment; it also prevents the corn from settling as it should, and acts as an air cushion, which causes lateral press- ure upon the silo walls, and prevents settling enough to get juice at the bottom, and bring- ing it throughout the mass to the top. We therefore lose the great benefit of having a quantity of free juice in the silo, which benefit consists in reducing the temperature, making the forage soft and pulpy, rendering it more assimilable, and greatly increasing its feeding value. After Carbonic Acid has performed its office of displacing the air from the silo, it is absorbed by the juice, causing a partial vacuum, which causes the juice to rise gradu- ally to the top, and is kept there, under press- ure, by absorption and capillary attraction. These operations are all brought about and controlled by the silo governor. Its action commences on the first day of filling, 38 Colcord’s System of and goes on continuously for about two months, when the silo is ready to be opened. Briefly stated, it collects the air from all parts of the silo, conveying it to the outside. When the Carbonic Acid appears, being heavier than air, it sinks to the bottom as it permeates the forage, displacing the air, which it does grad- ually and quietly, without mixing with it: the silo governor also conveys the surplus quantity of Carbonic Acid outside, in the same manner; it also operates in thé same way with Acetic Acid. These two acids and air are the only gases we have to contend with when we use the governor, which so perfectly removes and governs them that we never have heat or fermentation; consequently, no decomposition or development of foul odors. We keep a thermometer in the centre of the silo, and examine it frequently: we also measure the quantity of juice in the bottom of the silo daily, or as often as is necessary, by running a long stick down to the bottom of the per- pendicular pipe of the lower governor. We get all the juice wanted from the corn, allow- ing it to accumulate on the bottom 20 to 30 inches deep. This last season, we had 6 inches of juice before we could put on the cover to press; the year before, we had 2 inches. This year we had a surplus of juice, ° Preserving Green Forage 39 and have been feeding from 50 to 100 pounds daily, mixed with the shorts, to our milkers. This juice was drawn off, clear, sweet, and odorless, from the bottom of the silo. The governor collects and distributes the juice to and from all parts of the silo, and con- veys the surplus from the centre to the outside, under the cemented bottom, to be drawn off as wanted. In making ensilage where no governor is used, it is seldom that any juice collects in the silo, even with 1 to 200 pounds’ weight upon each square foot of surface; so that pressing green forage by this system requires not half the pressure to produce better results, with much greater economy. In controlling the operations inside the silo, we are guided quite as much by the quantity and quality of the juice as by the gases, odor, and temperature. Carbonic Acid is perfectly wholesome in the stomach, and performs a good use in the silo; but it is necessary to be very careful working in a silo where it is, as no breathing animal can live in an atmosphere of it more than a few minutes. Acetic Acid is also very plentiful in the silo, and quite wholesome. It is the acid that causes the sour taste in every silo; and we are apt to get too much of it, as it is readily absorbed by the juice. But a 40 Colcord’s Systent of great ‘deal “of it is taken’ out, “through ‘the governor, in a gaseous or vapor state. When this acid remains in a silo that has had no heat or fermentation in it, it is quite pure, and renders the food more palatable; but, when fermentation is present, it becomes decom- posed, loses its acidity, and assists in produc- ing foul odors, with a nauseous, putrid smell and tasté. This state of things, more or less pronounced, is what constitutes the difference in the quality of ensilage; and its effects are noticed in the taste and smell, the foul odor imparted to the silo and barn, and upon the hands and clothing. Even the small quantity which the cattle can eat of it produces a nauseating effect; and the bad effect produced by it in milk, cream, and butter, especially when fed to delicate children, is positively unhealthy, not only to them, but to man or beast. Such a condition may be easily and entirely avoided in the preservation of green forage, and never exists where there is no heat or fermentation, or where the governors are used, in a good silo, to. prevent it. With good smooth walls, held up with iron rods built into them, with the governor to take out the air and gases, we have but little lateral pressure; and yet we bring immense vertical pressure to bear directly and uniformly, which Preserving Green forage AI condenses the forage, without impacted strata in the mass, giving us results, without fear of accident, not obtainable by any other means. CUT OF SILO GOVERNOR. Lewis ENG Ce BOSTON 42 Colcord’s System of DESCRIPTION OF THE SILO GOVERNOR. Figure 1 is a top view of a silo ready to receive the ensilage, and showing a portion of my apparatus resting on the floor. Figure 2 is a vertical section cut on the line eaaou Pioure i Figure 3 is a portion of pipe, on an enlarged scale, taken from one of the front corners of the apparatus, and placed bottom side up to show the air holes on its under side. Figure 4 is a top view, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the bottom of the silo before the principal portion of my apparatus has been placed in position, showing the upturned end of the drip pipe, and the strainer in its mouth. Figure 5 is a section of portion of pipe and elbow, on an enlarged scale, showing the wooden peg which prevents the pipe from turning in its bearings. I construct my apparatus as follows: I take iron pipes @ a of any dimensions desired, and join them together so as to form a frame A, with a continuous air connection (which also communicates with the drip pipe 4), by screw- ing each of the ends of the pipe a anda, into its connecting elbow 8 or coupling 9, as shown Preserving Green Forage 43 ate. Lhe ends: to and)n2 of the pipes @ are thrust or telescoped into their connecting elbow 8 and their couplings 9, as shown in Figures 1, 3,and 5. All the horizontal pipes, except the drip pipe 4, which runs toward the side wall of the silo B, are perforated on their under side with holes about one-fourth of an inch in diameter, and about-six inches distant from each other, as seen in Figures 3 and 5; the ends 10 of the pipes @ are each held in position by a small wooden peg or pin ¢, as shown in Figures 1, 3, and 5. A T-coupling / is screwed on to the project- ing end of the drip pipe 4, and the vertical pipe g is screwed into the upright branch of said coupling f; the vertical pipe g¢ affording an outlet or means of escape from the silo for the air and gases. The pipes a a, which extend transversely across the centre of frame A, from side to side, are screwed into the coup- lings 9, 9 and z, the downward branch of the latter coupling fitting loosely within the up- turned end of the drip pipe 4. The water, juices, etc. from the forage, are drawn off when desired through the drip pipe 4, the outer end of which is provided with a stopper 4; but a faucet may be employed instead of the stopper, if preferred. 44 Colcord’s System of The mouth of the vertical pipe g I close with a stopper 4 or with a cap. If the silo has a capacity of over 150 tons, or is more than fifteen feet deep, the apparatus for the bottom of the silo being in place, the cut corn is piled upon it in the usual way; and, when the silo is about half full, another appa- ratus, or frame A, not differing materially from that on the bottom of the silo, excepting that its vertical pipe 7, which performs the same office as the vertical pipe , and also has its mouth closed by a stopper, rises from the in- side of the silo, as seen in Figure 2. For the better support of the second frame A, and to prevent the small holes at the bot- tom of the pipe from becoming stopped with the forage, it is placed on a skeleton plat- form 2, Figure 2, composed of narrow strips of furring; and upon this platform z, with the frame upon it, the cut corn is piled until the silo is filled. To secure the second frame A in its place on the skeleton platform z, nails or staples are driven into the platform for that purpose. As soon as the silo is filled, the ordi- nary planks are put upon the top of the for- age, and the weight placed on said plank. Nothing should be put between the forage and the plank. Preserving Green forage 45 When the freshly cut corn is placed in the silo, it has not yet had time to become much wilted, if, indeed, it is wilted at all. Conse- quently, the air which remains in contact with it there, is in a much freer condition than it is after it has wilted; for through the operation of wilting the said air becomes much more in- timately associated with it, and much more difficult to separate from it. Therefore, dur- ing the process of filling the silo containing my apparatus, a large portion of the air in contact with the forage will be taken into the pipes @ a, and escape into the surround- ing atmosphere through the vertical pipes ¢ and m. The parts of the governor are now made to be screwed together, which is found to be pref- erable to “sleeving” them together, as was formerly done. Right-hand screws are used at every joint, excepting the right and left couplings at the cross-sections. * We take the perpendicular pipes from any part of the governors. When used to take temperature, they are taken up through the centre of the silo. The cut in Figure 2 repre- sents a pipe taken up at one side, about 6 inches from the wall. In opening the silo to remove the forage, 46 Colcord’s System of when the first part of the frame A of the ap- paratus is reached, the pipe @ nearest to the front end 7 of the silo B is pulled away from its connections with the adjacent longitudinal pipes a, and the latter are then also removed, the pegs e, which held the pipes a in position, having been first taken out, or broken off. As the work of discharging the silo pro- ceeds, on arriving at the central portion, the pipes a’, with their couplings 9, 9, z, after pegs e have been removed, can be pulled out and lifted from their place, and their adjacent lon- gitudinal pipes a drawn out, leaving only the pipe @ at the rear part of the silo to be re- moved when reached. In building a new silo, I place the drip pipe 7, igure 2, so ‘that its) upturned end willebe flush with the surface of the bottom of the silo. Just below the surface of its upturned end... Lyyplace sa. ‘strainer .s), shicures .2 sand ya. which will allow water and juice to pass freely, but will arrest coarse pieces of matter. When liquid rises in the pipe g, it can be drawn off by removing the stopper &. The silo governor has air passages within three to four feet of every part of the forage to the outside of the silo, from which to dis- charge the air, not only after it is packed, but while it is being filled. Preserving Green Forage 47 Air can be taken out of the silo in larger quantities from the bottom and central parts of the silo than can escape from the top. While the air is going out of the silo, there can be no ingress; and, as soon as egress ceases, the air passages should be closed, by stopping the mouths of the perpendicular pipes g and m. The governor will take off the lateral press- ure from the walls. There will be nothing like the pressure of an air cushion in the nat- ure of hydrostatic pressure. But there must be weight enough upon the ensilage to press it to such a degree that it may be cut verti- cally from top to bottom, leaving a smooth, solid front to prevent the ingress and action of the air. 48 Colcord’s System of A HALF EMPTY SILO. The following cut is introduced for the sole purpose of showing the situation of the two governors when one-half the ensilage has been removed. It also shows the vertical pipes. SILAGE versus DRY FODDER. Professor Arnold, being asked why three tons of good silage have a feeding value of one ton of the best hay, replied that in green Preserving Green forage 49 succulent foods the cellular tissues have not been converted into woody fibre, and in masti- cation and digestion all of the nutritive sub- stances in these cells are quickly acted upon by the saliva of the mouth, and then the gas- tric juices of the stomach, and all the nutri- ment is assimilated with only a minimum expenditure of force by the animal economy to digest it. The natural moisture of the plants, when green, also acts as a compensa- tion, and requires but little beyond the gastric juice to make the food fluid enough for diges- tion. With dry food, nature is heavily taxed at all points to make good the loss of the juices or moisture of the food. The secretions of the mouth are called upon to moisten the dry food. The woody fibre of the plants must be broken down and disintegrated by the power of gastric juice to set free the real nutriment of the food. This force is several times greater than is necessary when succulent food is fed. All this extra expenditure of force must be supplied by the animal, and therefore calls for an increased amount of food to make good this demand, or else the animal falls off in flesh. 50 Colcord’s System of EXPERIMENTS WITH ENSILAGE. At the annual meeting of the New York State Agricultural Society, recently held at Albany, Wri. Je) Sturtevant,; directoniof the State Experimental Station at Geneva, read a paper on ensilage, an abstract of which we give herewith : — In the experiments carried out last year at the station, sweet food, purposely acidified with a measured quantity of acetic acid in about the same proportion as analysis showed to exist in ensilage, gave better results in milk and by live weight than did the same food without the acid; and the doubling of the acid ration was followed by an increased improvement in quantity of product. A care- ful examination into the kinds of food fed during the various periods showed that one apparent effect of the acid was to improve the appetite of the cows and cause them to eat a slightly larger ration than they had been using previously. We are thus led to believe that, so long as the acid fed is not in a proportion beyond proper condimental relations, it is a valuable adjunct to food. When we notice that the use of ensilage as sole food has not Preserving Green Forage 51 produced a satisfactory condition in the ani- mals thus fed, we fully believe that the feeding of the acid beyond its condimental proportions is not advisable. We are led to believe that ensilage must be considered as a valuable food when judiciously fed; and in the hands of a judicious feeder it may possess a value superior to that of the raw material, inasmuch as it contains the same amount of nutrition in addi- tion to a certain condimental effect upon the animal. THE OPINIONS OF EMINENT AGRI- CULTURISTS. The following certificate from gentlemen eminently and reputably known for their prac- tical knowledge of agriculture and the applica- tion of business intelligence in their operations will be interesting in connection with the sub- ject of ensilage. It reads as follows :— “The undersigned, having made and fed ensilage for several years, believing that we have arrived at certain and uniform success, offer to those who are in doubt, this CERTIFICATE. “This certifies that we are making ensilage without heat or fermentation, in air-tight silos, 52 Colcord’s System of cutting the corn in one-half to three-quarter inch lengths, weighting 100 pounds to the square foot, and with this pressure getting one foot or more of juice in the bottom of the silo. We remove the air from the silo by using Col- cord’s Silo Governor, which causes a heavy vertical, with very little lateral, pressure. We obtain as uniform results cold, moist, soft, and pulpy ensilage, of the natural color of the corn, without offensive odor, imparting no odor to the silo, barn, hands, or clothing, but often of a bright, sweet smell, and sometimes the odor of nice, dry corn fodder. We feed an average of 60 pounds daily to each cow, and our cattle eat it all without any waste. “We regard Mr. Colcord’s system as the true, if not the only true, method of ensilaging green forage crops, and recommend it as sure, uniform, economical, and less troublesome than any other. By using this system, with the governor, according to directions, any one may be sure of success with ensilage. “EpMuND M. Woop, Boston, Mass. “TT, E. Ruccies, Milton, Mass. “CHARLES L. COPELAND, Milton, Mass. “C. A. Davis, Natick, Mass. ‘“ BERNARD MONAGHAN, Dedham, Mass.” Preserving Green Forage 53 [From the Farm, Field, and Stockman.]| SWEET FORAGE IN WINTER. COLCORD’S GOVERNOR IN PRACTICAL USE.— PAR- TICULARS FROM MR. COLCORD HIMSELF. GENERAL C. H. Howarp: Szv,— I never planted corn any better, culti- vated better, or manured better than this year; but the season here has been unusually bad for corn,—cold and wet to a degree I. have never seen before. The corn did not grow. It was two feet less in height, the leaves were about half the usual size, and the stalks small: it was badly frost-bitten about September 1. During the months of September and Octo- ber, the rain was as continuous as the rainy season of California or some parts of the South. Very little corn around here ripened, and nearly all the fodder spoiled in curing. I cut mine into the silo September 18 to 24. It rained all that week except half a day. We were four days putting it in. It rained so hard 2 days that we could not work. It aver- aged 13 tons to the acre (last year 19 tons). All the corn was in the milk. It was put in very wet, cut to half-inch. I put in 3 gov- 54 Colcord’s System of ernors, 1 on the bottom, 1 in the centre, and 1 inverted immediately under the plank cover- ing, because I used the same splined cover that I did last year. When the silo was .% full, there were 6 inches of juice all over the bottom: no carbonic or acetic acid this year. Last year both were very abundant. The juice is sweet, but would test slightly acid. The temperature in the centre of the silo is yore to 78° “lastvyeary 72"). - Wheres atenme inches of juice in the bottom, (last year 30 inches). I can get any quantity I want at any time. The top is kept perfectly level with ten jack-screws. It is under perfect control, and no trouble to press it. I can discover no foul odors, and think it is ripening or curing very nicely. I hope to be able about December 1 to send you a sample of the juice and a sample of the preserved forage: if I do, I shall press out the juice from 2 or 3 pounds of the forage near to the top of the silo, bottle it, and pack it in the identical forage I press it from. I don’t under- stand why I should have no acid in it this year and so much last year, and what the difference will be when I come to open the silo. If this turns out good, it will settle the question of Preserving Green Forage 55 being able to be sure of the corn crop every year. It seems impossible to have another year as bad as this; and I could see no objec- tion to the acid I had in it last year, and all my experiments went to prove it. I shall weigh all my stock when I begin to feed it, and every thirty days after, and note the differ- ence in milk and flesh. The difference must be in the quality of the crop, although there is 6° higher temperature this year. I am trying to find out about that capillary attraction. Last year the juice went up about 1 inch a day after I ceased to press it: this year I am not pressing so heavy, and it doesn’t appear to rise so fast. My last month of feeding last year showed quite an increase in feeding value.* MY EXPERIMENT SILO. In building my silo, I took nearly level ground, laying it out to build an ‘air-tight pit 12 X 32 x 20 feet, excavated 5 feet, putting in the foundation of cobble-stone 20 inches wide, 18 inches below the bottom of the silo, with a 4-Inch land drain around the outside, pour- ing over the foundation thin, mixed cement. After it became firm and level, I erected a * This article was published soon after the silo was filled. Later on, carbonic and acetic acids put in an appearance. 56 Colcord’s System of staging 18 feet high. The upright timbers next to and on both sides of the wall to be built were 6 x 6 spruce timber, 5 feet apart, securely fastened across the pit by 2 x 8 plank, sawed exactly to one length, securely fastened near the top, bottom, and centre by one 6-inch round spike in the centre of each 6-x-6-inch cross connection, to give a perfectly flat, firm bearing. ‘The planks running lengthwise were fastened to the uprights in the same manner, care being taken to have the uprights per- fectly perpendicular, without variation in distance between the walls. To insure per- fect accuracy, the inside uprights were spiked together and raised in pairs. Straight timber was selected, and as far as possible straight- grained; the diagonal braces of 1 x 6 fence boards were used. After the inside staging was up, the outside timbers were raised and placed opposite the inside ones, leaving space for the 18-inch wall and the plank on each side, also for laths %4 inch thick to be placed between the plank and the uprights, to be taken out each time the plank is raised. The inside and outside up- right timbers, also the outside 4 x 4 staging, were securely fastened together with 1 x 6 fence board, 6 feet long. Thus the inside Preserving Green Forage 7 and outside stagings were securely fastened together, the connections being sawed away as the wall was built up between the stagings. The wall planks were 18 inches wide, planed to even thickness. These were placed all around the pit and mitred at the corners. Between these planks the wall was built up daily from 12 to 16 inches. When the inside staging was removed, there was not a variation of 4g inch in the length of the walls from top to bottom or from end to end. I was thus particular in building, because I was trying to make an air-tight pit, in which I could exhaust, which was equal to packing 384 square feet of covering tight enough to exhaust 6,528 cubic feet, which every one said I could not do. The mortar was composed of one part cement, two parts coarse sand, two parts small, clean cobble-stone, two parts small broken stone, and water in the proportion of about 30 gallons to each barrel of cement. This was taken to the pit in buckets, poured in and packed with trowels, to keep the stones from the plank. Iron rods 1% inches in diameter, with strong flanges at the bottom, terminating 4 feet above the top of the wall, 58 Colcord’s System of with long screws and double 1%-inch nuts, were built into the centre of the side walls from the foundation up. These rods should be placed about 8 feet apart, commencing 4 feet from the end walls. Fight by eight spruce timber was used to connect opposite rods across the top of the pit; 14-inch holes were bored through the timbers, to allow them to slide freely on the rods; cast-iron washers 1% x 6 inches were used under the nuts. When the wall was up half-way, all around level, 2 x 6 planks were set up on the outside of the wall between the 6 x 6 upright timbers and the building plank, for the purpose of setting the upper half of the wall in 6 inches all around the out- side, leaving the part yet to be built 12 inches thick. In the 6-inch ledge at the bottom, re- served to build upon, was placed a strip of 2 x 2 all around to fasten the woodwork to. Before we commenced laying up the wall, a drip or drain pipe 1% inches in diameter was placed at the bottom, from the exact centre of the pit to one of the corners, to come out into a well 3 feet deep. This out- side end was placed 8 inches below the bottom of the pit, with a | turning up 3 inches inside the face of the wall. Into this was screwed Preserving Green Forage 59 an upright 114-inch pipe, which was built into the wall, coming out at the top of the 6-inch ledge upon the barn floor, terminating 2 feet above the floor with a plug and side stop-cock, arranged to collect the gases for examination, to sound the depth of juice and draw it off at the bottom over the well, also for general purposes of examination. The end of the drip pipe at the centre of the pit terminated in an elbow, with 3 inches of pipe coming up through the cemented bottom and flush with it. These pipes are a part of the governor, which in this pit is a frame of 1-inch iron pipe 26 feet long and 6 feet wide, perforated with y-inch holes every 6 inches, arranged to sleeve together at the corners, in the centre, and at the sides 6% feet from the ends, and put together in such a way that the whole of it can be put in in fifteen minutes, and every part of it is taken out separately, as it is found in taking the forage from the pit; it is also placed so that the forage cannot stop up the y-inch air holes. In the centre of this frame is a | that turns down 3 inches into the drip pipe. In practical use, this is all of the bot- tom governor. The governor being in place, we cut the corn in ¥-inch lengths, fill the pit a little 60 Colcord’s System of more than half full, level and tread it evenly; then upon a skeleton wooden frame we put a second governor, in all respects like the other, except, instead of turning down the outlet into the drip pipe, we turn it up, with a perpendicular pipe coming up through the forage from the centre of the pit and through the plank covering, and terminating, like the other, with a plug or cap. When the pit is full and trod down evenly, cover with 2-inch spruce planks fitted to slide down the walls nicely and evenly; press it firmly enough to get about 2 feet of juice in the bottom, and in practical operation this is all that is re- quired, But in this pit, which was made to try any experiment and test any principle in the direction of possibilities, or perfect preser- vation, a third governor inverted was put in, and the three governors were sleeved together, having a continuous outlet from top to bot- tom, closed with stop-cocks and plugs, having 432 outlets for gas and air from the forage into the pipes, distributed evenly through the mass. The top governor was laid directly upon the corn, the pit was covered with 2-inch splined planks, accurately fitted so as to slide down the walls as the mass settled. This cover was covered with two layers of thick Preserving Green Forage 61 paper, and a 4%-inch rubber packing all around the walls, making it air-tight. This was also covered with 4 inches of damp sand. Two lines of 6 x 8 timber were placed the length of the pit upon the cover, upon which were placed 2-inch jack-screws under the 8 x 8 timbers through which the iron rods passed. This arrangement, by reason of the elasticity of the corn and the springing of the timbers above the jack-screws, gave a continuous press- ure, which was found to be ample and safe. In this way, I was able to get an air-tight ex- haust. All the air and gas had to come out through the governor, giving an opportunity for examination and taking the temperature daily at different depths. At no time was the temperature above 72° in the pit, which was about the outside temperature when we com- menced to fill. Carbonic acid appeared in the pit the morning after the first day we cut, and the next day acetic acid put in an appearance. These, with air, were the only gases or vapors that have come out of the pit; and these appear perfectly pure, without any odor,—something I have never seen before in any silo. In fact, there has never been any heat, fermentation, or foul odor in the pit. Juice drawn from the bottom is odorless; and when, by long exposure to the 62 Colcord’s System of air, it does change, it turns to bright, odorless vinegar. There is no odor of ensilage in the pit or stable, and not any waste in the pit or at the feeding-troughs, but is all eaten up clean. I am now feeding an average of seventy pounds daily to each animal. Many of them would eat considerably more. I think, how- ever, that I shall find a variety for cows is better than any one kind of food. The bottom and centre governors took the air out so fast while we were filling that be- fore it was full we had 2 or 3 inches of juice all over the bottom of the pit. There was very little lateral pressure until after we began to press. The 1-foot walls were found to be strong enough, the strain upon the iron rods preventing any fear of their pressing out. One of my aims was to get the juice as near the top as I could, to make the mass soft and uniform throughout. I have succeeded _per- fectly in doing this, in getting an exhaust. The mass is now cut down vertically 13% feet, and back across the end to feet, with a hard, smooth face which does not change, let the air in, or the juice down. I can take a handful of the forage and squeeze the juice from it, from any part of the face. There is no air in it, it remains sopping wet and cold from Preserving Green forage 63 the top plank to the bottom. To test the exhaust, I connected the governors both at top and bottom of the pit with a steam vac- uum pump. As soon as the air was removed and juice came into the pump, I cut off the connection with the bottom, and the pump threw a stream of juice from the top ro feet high into the air. Therefore, more pumping or pressure was useless, the juice has taken the place of the air, and capillary attraction is keeping it there throughout the mass. In practical operation, capillary attraction is sufh- cient to convey and keep the juice at the top.)