MAKING THE MOST OF FODDER.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 59, 9 March 1878, Page 3

MAKING THE MOST OF FODDER.

[ The Australasian.']

Although just now there may be very little fodder going to waste in any part of the country, the subject of storing a surplus against a time of need is not likely to receive less attention than during a season of abundance ; on the contrary, the occasion seems opportune for discussing possible methods of storing supplies which may serve to mitigate the severity of future droughts. One, of the best plans of increasing the bulk of available fodder is that of stacking wheat, oat, barley, or pea straw in alternate layers with green fodder of almost any kind ; sprinkling on the latter a little salt, well treading the stack as it is being built, and thatching it. In England surplus vetches, which cannot be dried for hay in the spring, are often turned to account in this manner. Clover, too, in wet seasons, is sometimes thus saved, and-, where sainfoin is grown it is similarly treated. Mangel tops, rape, green maize, mustard, buckwheat, and any other green fodder may be thus employed. They serve to utilise the straw as fodder, instead of leaving itlike "Novice's" haystack (see "Notes and Queries"), unpalatable even for hungry horses. Stacks thus compounded are best turned to account by chaffing them, for in that way nothing is lost. And here let us remark that New South Wales horse proprietors use much longer chaff than Victorians — the question which practice is right is well worth inquiry ; meanwhile, it should be understood that for cattle chaff should be not less than an inch and a half long — the length commonly cut for such stock in England. It is not to be understood that by chaffing this or any other fodder it is likely to be more easily digested or masticated in ,any appreciable degree, but only that the consumption, of the whole of the food is the better insured, the animal being pre-

vented from selecting one portion and rejectinganother. Strawand greenstuff together constitute a valuable food^ and one that w}U be appreciated .alike by horses and cattle. A system of storing green fodder in pits or silos has been brought into notice of late years upon the continent of Europe. It has been referred to on several occasions in our columns, but we have not,' heard of its having been tried in- Australia. The original plan of doing this was simple in the extreme. Oblong pits,, with straight sides, were dug out, six feet and more in depth, and in these the maize, vetches, or other green fodder were laid, trodden down, and ultimately covered with the earth which came out of the; space. The modern improvements consist of constructing stone or brick-lined pits with divisions, which are each filled in turn, and, : when full, are covered with planks, which are subsequently weighed down with logs or stones. A description and plan of a set of these pits are given in Christy's pamphlet on forage plants and "ensilage," which lias been published in connection with the comfrey plant. It, is there stated that the French obtained their knowledge of ensilage in Algeria, where green fodder is buried in trenches by the Arabs, who have experienced much difficulty in securing forage in dry seaf sons. The system has been the subject of experiments by M. Goffart, of Cfiateau. Bur tin, Department Loire et .Cher, and success has . attended his efforts. His experiments were made with maize. He constructed pits, the largest, of which was 36ft in length by 6ft in depth and width, having well-pointed stone sides, and paved bottom bonded with cement. The sides are vertical, to facilitate the pressing down on its contents. The largest cost about £11 in construction ; it frequently contains 40 tons of green maize, mixed with about one-fifth of its weight of rye-straw chaff. The working is as follows :-— " As the fodder falls into the pit from the chaffcutter it is spread out and firmly trodden by men. , When the pit is fiill some straw is sprinkled on the,' uppermost layer j then comes a coating of long straw, and finally a covering of planks

■w^ll,wqighted doTVO-with Iqgp or stone, : not earth, hfpr jt ; filters; through to the Ifodder;'-- For some time after the completion of the* above work, 'the pits need to be carefiilly -examined eveiy day, as owing to 1 the settling down of the fodder, cracks are * apt 't6 'fo.ni.iri the roof, ' and 'these, if riot closed, would admit" a quantity of. air ; ,"a'iid ; injure the 1 fodder by turning . it' : mouldy." . '. Caution is also 'inquired 'iii' opening .and ' closing the pit. to! fake put the 'daily supply of fodder.; the exposed parts are covered again as "quickly as possible. It willbe understood tha,t : ! tne ' green sijuff, of whatever kind i. be. 'undergoes par tical . fermentation : ifcj' iii " n\'ct, 'hjecdmes' _our,, and in that conclition'is'said'to be. much relished by stocki'' 1 One' experimenter builds his side' walls .'slightly, sloping, the top of tlie pi t : is/ nine 'inches' wider than tbe 't.'p.tom.' ; "THiS is done; in order to prevent' the, 'fof m^ of hollow spaces wheii th & fpddef settles' down. He also placed on the 'top a layer of beetroot pulp, %'excUide' the iur the more effectually.' l A .hird, who has pitted green _h_ize, sorghum, red clover, lucerne, and sainfoin, finds the "sour-kep" excellent food forVworking oxen. When these crops' are intended for pitting he allows them to become rather riper thau if fed green pr made into hay ; if the crop be Jeo .succulent, it acquires in the pit a ftarkisli Colour, and a disagreeable pungent' smell. ' Wetness through rain is ttot _p deteriorating as what may be tOiiried.under-ripeness — an advantage of np mean importance to farmers in the humid climate, of Britain. Our previous notices of this system of pitting, green fodder were, derived from an Austrian 'source, in the Hungarian provinces of which .empire it forms part of the system "of farm husbandry. The kind of food thus produced would bo new to English colonists^ and' Oonsequently it would not Be 'likely to meet ready approval ; aud whbth'er it is better than the system of stacking, green fodder with straw, first tef6tred to,' has yet to be determined. Itrnu^t';_iot . be; forgotten* that where JBt-awi^nofcitl-erWise valuablo, it forms Ihe^bo'sii '•<& J.H 'protectors of mangels and iilii^Qt^Vvi^^eV a thick coYwiLo^ of' trow,

these useful farm roots may be stored, and kept perfectly good the whole year round. . . ,;