TEN-YEAR-OLD'SILAGE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 118, 12 February 1919, Page 10

TEN-YEAR-OLD'SILAGE

A NEW SOUTH -WALES OBJECT- . . LESSON.

"I am thoroughly satisfied that the experiment is a highly payable one, and the freedom from anxiety which it. ensures cannot be over-estimated. lliflt was the opinion expressed by Captain F. Q. Waley, in 1907, after hie first year's • experience ot conservinc fodder in eilos"for his ?tud cattle at Mowbray Park, Picton, states the Sydney Daily Telegraph." He had erected.a nest if four tub silos, of a total capacity of 510 tons, and filled them with .chaffed mwA Despite some dolays, which' tended.to. depreciate the quality of the silage, it proved a great stand-by in the dry eoaspn, which happened along in his nrst year. ■ '- Those four eilos were filled again m April, 1903—nenrly ten years ngo-and the last of'the reserve then put'by w now being drawn upon. A Hjunple ot the eilage-made from green maize cui in the milky stage of the cob-now bempr used shows the fermentation to -havo been perfect, and the rish-aroma is.like that of brewer's malted grains. • Another, point is that portion of the contents of the silo now boing emptied was used in the drought of three-years ago, leavin? W) or 70 tons in the .bottom. I'iv.s at the time was topped off again with, wet straw and properly weighted. The quality of • this left-over portion bus in no wiiy deteriorated; in fact, like- wine,- it appears to have improved with age. ,The keeping' quality haa certainly, improred. for it will keep for a couple of days after removal from the silo without heating. Now that the district is very dry ana there is little natural feed, Captain Wiiley is drawing upon this ten-year-old reserve, of succulent fodder. His milking cows are receiving a daily ration of 4011).-. of silage, with a little lucerne chuff and a handful of briui. On this- the cows, he says, are 'milking even hotter than if- on gtod jgrnee. The silage is carted out and distributed in thn piuldock to the young stock; , which simpty rush it and lick up every particle. a An experience of tins sort is a. telling objectlesson, especially , to dairy farmers. Aβ Captain Waley puts it, "it shows what one can do by taking advantage of the ■pood ;ears to store up a reserve of fodder, which, while it coete nothing to keep; even improves year aftery.ear.'and is invaluable vfhen a drought time conies along, like tho present."