ENSILAGE FROM CALIFORNIAN THISTLES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1354, 3 February 1912, Page 8

ENSILAGE FROM CALIFORNIAN THISTLES.

AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT. The Californian thistles Trhich 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 tome use iu the form of ensilage. The experiment is being carried out by Mr. Dililxe, of the Field instruction Stati' of the Agricultural Department. In one ease, at Stirling, a stack is being made exclusively from the thistle, ami the mixed grasses knocked over by the mower v.iien cutting them. The system worked upon, according to the "Utago Witness," was as follows "The thistles, which stand from 2ft. Gin. to 31t. in height, are cut before they arrive at the flowering stage, the proper time to cut them being when the largest sied button is not more than half an inch across, anil the remainder of the head consists of round heads no larger than good-sized beads. At that succulent stage tlio woody fibre in the stalk has not developed, and it is full of sap or juice, which 011 twisting will exude moisture. . . . The thistles are cut wet or dry with the grass mower, and immediately transferred to the stack by means of sweeps or sleighs. The material is heavy and difficult to fork on to a; dray, and any temporary framework of light wood and wiro to which a horse can be attached is more easily worked than the dray. The liorses 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 readied. This quantity is then allowed to remain uncovered till the temperature rises to 130dcg. J'ahr., alter which the work can be proceeded' with. This may entail cessation from work for one or two days, but it is imjx>rtaiit to wait until at least this temperature is indicated by the thermometer. The temperature is ascertained by building ill an inch iron pipe in the centre of the stack, the lower end of which starts at a height of .'lit. from the ground. A self-registering thermometer is lowered into this pipe by means of a piece of string, and the heat can be ascertained at any hour of the day. The range of tomporature for making sweet, green ensilage is from ISOdeg. to 150deg. 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 110 occasion to stop at 3ft if convenient to add more: Gft. or Sft. might be added after the first layer rises to the iiece-sary temperature, aiid no further delay is neccssary 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 hirrhcr 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 earth thrown loosely 011 to the silo cover. This is a lvooden framework which is made with a solid timber bottom of half-inch, timber",,,oll which a framework 20in. high is built all round the edges, which will prevent the soil from escaping. The soil is elevated iby 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 10ft., so that every morning finds tlie stack at a considerably lower level than when work was finished. For every ton of gro.»n material us?d in the stack 111b. to 21b. of coarse agricultural salt is sprinkled over the stack and repeated with every 2ft. of a rise invi 20ft. square stack. "Mr. Dibble is proceeding to Otanommio to deal with oats and Canadian thistles mixed, and has arranged for other denominations in tlio district."