IMPORTANCE OF ENSILAGE.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 314, 14 November 1929, Page 6

IMPORTANCE OF ENSILAGE.

INCREASING POPULARITY. Valuable Summer Fodder. The following article on the value of ensilage has been contributed by Mr. J. W. Woodcock, Government Instructor in Agriculture, Hamilton:— Now that intensive methods of grass farming are becoming more general in the Waikato, and as successful grassland farming is entirely dependant on as near complete utilisation of the grass as possible, the importance of ensilage on the farm is being widely realised. It is anticipated that there will be a big increase in the amount of ensilage made this season as compared with last year, and when one remembers the dry periods of the past two summers that is easily understood. For not only is the making of ensilage the most satisfactory way of dealing with the big flush of feed in spring which naturally follows heavy topdressing, but it can be fed out at any time of the year when shortage occurs.

A big reserve of fodder in the way of hay and ensilage allows the stocking of the farm to be greatly increased, and, as opportunity offers, farmers would be well advised to commence building up such a reserve. The making of ensilage has a great advantage over haymaking in that it can be done just when the material is ready. Weather conditions do not interfere to any great extent, and the work can go on day after day. It is thus an advantage to those farmers who, through shortage of labour, are compelled to work with others on the co-operative system, and work can be kept more up to schedule than with hay. The objection to ensilage is the cost of handling the green material as compared with cured hay, but ensilage made hr pits or trenches requires much less manual labour than where the material is stacked in the field.

Although quality In ensilage is always important, that required for feeding in the dry summer months should be of the best quality and should be made from succulent grass which has not been allowed to get into seed. It is now a well-known fact that, for milk production, short, succulent, quick-growing grass is desired. As the grass growth gets older and ranker its feeding value declines, and rank, old grass which has been allowed to seed is quite unsuitable for milk production. The , quality of ensilage for milk production is therefore dependent on the stage at which the grass is cut, and although the grass might be cut on the short side, and quantity of material may be less, better results will be obtained during the dry spell with the resultant ensilage. Many farmers have been disappointed in previous years through ensilage not keeping cows up to their milk when fed in late summer, and in most cases the fault could be attributed entirely to the stage at which the crops were cut. It is often asserted that ensilage can replace soft turnips quite successfully on the farm, but it is only ensilage of the finest quality made from the best material that is capable of giving equal results during dry weather. Ensilage fits so well into the scheme of things on the all-grass farm that its manufacture is likely to become the most important oper-

ation of its kind in Waikato. Better utilisation of grass and its control is probably more important than increasing grass production by the more liberal use of fertilisers. The extension of the practice of making ensilage, to conserve as much as possible of the surplus summer production. of grass for periods of grass shortage, is of prime importance, improving our present methods of grass utilisation. Pastures cut for silage in November produce much more feed in the autumn than pastures cut for hay in December. Ensilage is by no means difficult to make, and many farmers have been successful in making first - class material at their first attempt. Others not quite so successful are determined to do better next time.