Untitled

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1640, 6 January 1913, Page 6

Mr. W. O. Brown, wool instructor, 1 Queensland, in his annual report, refers as follows to an ensilage experiment mado \ by a Now Zoalander settled on the Dor-: ling Downes. Ho 6ayst "Mr. Gralmm, of-Mftnapouri, Milton, a Now Zcnlandcr, informed mo that he was about, to make an experiment with a cheap, kind of silo. Ho is ft sliocp-broeder and fattener, and is going into the. business of fat-lamb raising on 500 acres of 'cultivated' land. Ho asked me out to his piaoe to deal/ with some sick wethers ho and on hand,,' and to see tho experiment mado. I saw tho silo built, and als<>, lf|ter,; saw it ' filled. The total cost of tlio uilo—lftbour and material—was '.£9 155., as against .£l2O for others.': It is of tho ovcr-si round type. There was a catch-crop of B'acres of maize, which would have been nothing but' a few days' food: for the stock when turned into it. An reaper and,binder Nvas put into it. The sheaves were chaffed i with a No. 3 Ohio chaffer and blower,' driven by a 0 h.p. steam engine, and from the crop was made about -60 tons of wheat, two months later, when it was opened, proved to bo excellent' sweet. ensilage. It is known thkt lib, per diem of ensilage; with rough feed of any kind, will keep a-sheep alive S 21b. and rough food witl fatten; while 4lb. of .ensilage alono, will keep. a suckling ; owe in .full . milk. Therefore, these 60 tons of. clicap ensilage (it was put into tho silo at a cost of under 6s. per ton, exclusive of cost of cultivation) will keep 500 ewes, in full milk for a period: of sixty days.