ENSILAGE MAKING

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 295, 10 June 1912, Page 8

ENSILAGE MAKING

AN EXPERT'S VIEWS. From an educational point of view, the late Winter Show, particularly the : exhibit staged by the Department of Agriculture, cannot be over-stressed. One branch of agriculture In particular which attracted the attention of many farmers , was that dealing with the manufacture . of ensilage. It is just about thirteen , years since the advent of ensilage-mak- . ing in New Zealand, and with the assistance lent by the Department it is ! making rapid strides. At the outset the somewhat cumbrous system of pit en- . silage largely obtained. The Department, however, is now teaching farmers to preserve the fodder by stack ensilage. The stacking process is, an officer of the Department explained to a News reporter, much simpler and more effective, the results being much better than those obtaining under the old system. Temperature is the most important factor in the making of ensilage; with stacking it can be gauged much more exactly. The temperature is regulated by simply increasing or diminishing the weight on the stack. The result is less loss by overheating, which is the ruination of ensilage. It is found that by stacking, instead of pitting, the ensilage the loss extends from two to four inches around the outside of the stack. The advantages of going in for ensilage are many. It does not require to be all used up the first winter, as it can be left stacked with immunity throughout the succeeding summer, when it is practically, if not quite, as good as before. Departmental plots are being set aside for the purpose of experimenting with the fodder, and one of its officers (Mr. Dibbell) specialises in the .superintendence of ensilage-making for the whole of the Dominion. He is open at any time to go into any district for the purpose of giving farmers practical advice on the subject. The making of ensilage is not an involved undertaking, but nevertheless requires to be thoroughly understood. It is possible to make mistakes, especially by putting too much weight on the stack, and thus affecting the temperature. As a fodder, ensilage has two advantages over hay. It can be gathered and stacked in all weathers, whilst rain may often ruin a hay crop. | Further, it is a green fodder, containing no small percentage of water, which stands cattle in good stead in times of drought. Maize-and hay make capital ensilage, but, practically speaking, almost any green stuff will suffice. Down in Otago, where ensilage-making is gone ; in for extensively, tons and tons of the fodder are being made out of the muchdreaded thistle. A point, too, in its favor is that ensilage does not, so our informant stated, taint the milk. It is a splendid stand-by when other fodder runs short. Taranaki is eminently suited for ensilage-making, added our informant. There is no other district with such a huge flush of growth I in the spring time. It is invaluable in ' districts where turnips or other winter < feed could not be grown. i