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THE SOUTHERN WORLD, FEBRUARY 1,1882,
3
ENNILAOE EXPERIMENT AT THE IN*
TERNATIONAL COTTON EXPOSI
TION, ATLANTA, OA.
IU Probable Inflaenee on Stoefc-feedinf
In the South.
The farmers of the cotton States owe a
debt of gratitude to the management of the
International Cotton Exposition for the
public spirit which they displayed in con
ducting, for the information of the thous
ands of farmers who visited the Exposition,
a practical experiment in the preservation
of green food in silos. Two silos were con
structed under the immediate direction of
Dr. J. M. Hailey, of Billerica Mass, tliegr$at
apostle of ensilage in this country. One was
intended to represent a model silo, liuving
walls of brick, and botli sides and walls hav
ing a good coating of Howard’s hydraulic
cement. The other wos constructed on the
cheapest possible plan, liuving the walls of
clay only cemented.
Each silo had a capacity of twenty-five
tons, but only about twenty tons were put
into each.
Quite a variety of forage was used in these
silos, including fodder-<orn, sorghum, pea-
vines and sweet potato vines, all of which
■were found in an excellent state of preserva
tion when one of the silos was opened dur
ing the cattle show early in November.
Notwithstanding the fact that fully one
week was occupied in filling this silo, and
tiic further fact that some of the forage lay
in bulk until considerable heat had been
generated before it was cut, the preservation
was entirely satisfactory, and the ensilage
was eaten with avidity by cattle, horses and
mules.
Notwithstanding the fact that the silo was
opened during the stock show, there was but
one exhibitor who would venture to feed
the ensilage to ids stock, and he only ven
tured to give it to one animal that was not
very highly prized. After the stock exhibit
the ensilage stood unused, and was making
a false impression upon the public
mind, when, despairing of a proper illus
tration of the utility of the experiment on
the part of the management, and seeing no
little skepticism manifested as to the fitness
of the ensilage for feeding cattle, the writer
ottered to send his own cattle to be fed on
the ensilage to prove its value and the suc
cess of the experiment. These cattle were
weighed when put into the stalls, where they
remained six weeks, during which time they
had nothing but ensilage, except during the
first few days, when a little corn meal was
used to introduce them gradually to their
novel diet. The cattle ate the ensilage at
once and grew more fond of it daily. A cow
that was tine beef when the trial began,
gained, during the time, (six weeks) thirty
pounds, and a heifer five pounds. The heifer
was butchered a few days after she wastajeen
off of the ensilage, and afforded os delicious
beef as was ever eaten. The unusual mild
ness of the winter was very favorable to the
feeding of ensilage, which is so full of the
diluted juices of the plants that the cattle
fed upon it rarely drank water although a
small quantity of salt was sprinkled over
each feed. After it was deraonstrted that
the “stuff” would not “kill cattle,” there
would have been no difficulty In filling all
the stalls.
We regret that the management did not
carry out the original design of conducting
accurate experiments by feeding the ensil
age alone and in combination with other
feed stuff. Enough has been established,
however, to demonstrate the complete suc
cess of the plan of preserving green forage in
silos for winter feeding.
The forage was all cut to one-fourth inch
lengths by a Telegraph cutter, driven by a
Bookwulter engine—all furnished gratuit
ously for use on the occasion by Messrs.
Mark W. Johnson & Co., of Atlanta. The
work was beautifully done and the finely cut
forage, os it fell into the silo, seemed only
to need vinegar, pepper, and salt, to make
a savory salad. If our stock-breeders will
consult their best interests, they will plant
a fewncres of highly enriched land in forage
corn and peas and store up ensilage in
abundant supply for their stock.
It is not necessary for the successful pres
ervation of the forage that the silos be un
derground. Mr. Garrett, of North Caroli
na, who has been raising ensilage for two
years, told us that he had abandoned the
underground pits and now uses a close
room in his barn above ground on account
of the greater convenience of feeding.
There is neither mystery or difficulty con
nected with the storage of ensilage—the
principle is an old and very simple one and
its practical application most easy and nat
ural,
It will pay a family to put up ensilage if
only one cow is kept.
Analysis or Fertilisers.—Circular No. 91.
The system of inspection and analysis of
fertilizers, inaugurated and supervised by
the Department of Agriculture of Georgia,
under the laws of this State, hus been pro
ductive of great bcnef.ts to both manufac
turers and consumers of fertilizers—not
alone in Georgia, but in otherStates. Under
the operation of this system the quality of
the goods mode and sold to the farmers has
been brought to a high and uniform standard
of excellence,—ns shown, not only by the
chemical anuiysis, but by actual soil tests,—
that could hardly have been attained with
out some such system. Since the establish
ment of the Department of Agriculture, the
Commissioners have been exceptionally
fortunate in securing the services of chemists
of unquestioned ability and established
reputation, and whose accuracy has not been
successfully impeached. So high is the
estimate of the vuluc of these official analy
ses, by dealers in fertilizers and farmers in
Alabama and Mississippi, who have come to
a knowledge of their publication, that they
now rely most implicitly on the information
thus obtained, und the Commissioner is
constantly receiving applications for circu
lars containing "analyses of fertilizers.”
Wlmt a tribute in prnise of the Georgia Leg
islature for devising such a system !
Our object, however, is to call attention
to Circular Number 24, recently issued from
the Department, containing “Analyses and
Commercial Valucsof Fertilizers, Inspected,
Analyzed and Admitted to sale to January
4th, 1882.” This is the first circular of the
season, and contains the analyses of upwards
of eighty brands of fertilizers. It will be
observed that the Commissioner has ad
vanced the valuation of ammonia from 18 to
25 cents per pound, and reduced that of
potash from 8 to G cents per pound. The
effect of this change has been to increase the
“relative commercial value” of ammoniated
fertilizers of any given standard, to the
amount of $1.40 for each unit or one per
cent, of ammonia, or an average increase in
each brand of ammoniated goods of about
four dollar* per ton. Unless this change of
valuation be noted, farmers are liable to
erroneously conclude that the fertilizers in
spected and analyzed so far are of much bet
ter quality than heretofore. Let us see how
this is as a matter of fact. In the table be
low are given the average analyses of all the
brands inspected during the season of 1880-1,
and of those in Circular 24—classified as
shown:
AMMONIATED SUPERPHOSPHATES.
SEASON
vailable
Phos.
Acid. 1
d
4'S
6
a
l
ommer-
cial
Value.
<
<
Ps
o
1880-1
10 30
2 53
1 45
$40 14
1881-2
10 35
2 80
1 48
41 05
ACID PHOSPHATES OR DISSOLVED BONES.
SEASON
Available
Phos.
Acid.
d
4'S
a
a
<
Potash.
Commer
cial
Value.
1880-1
1881-2
12 00
12 10
1 30
0 04
$33 00
31 53
In the above table, for convenience of
comparison, the commercial values for the
season of 1880-1, as well as those of the pres
ent season, are calculated upon the basis of
the elementary valuations of the latter. We
thus see that the ammoniated superphos
phates of the present seasou have a commer
cial value of only $1.51 greater than the
same class of last season. This is evidently
owing to the increase of .05 per cent, of
available phosphoric acid, .27 per cent, of
ammonia, and .03 per cent, of potosb. But
the average value of this class for last season,
at the elementary prices then ruling, was
only $30.70—as appears from Circulur No. 18
of that season—a difference (apparent only)
in favor of the present season of $4.85. The
cautious farmer will make a note of this in
buying his fertilizers for the coming crop.
On the contrary, the analyses of acid
phosphates or dissolved bones, shows a deci
ded falling off in quality, the average value
of those analyzed being only $31.53 against
$33.00 for last season—calculating as before
—the available acid being .44 per cent, and
the potash .30 pc* cent, less than lost season.
We call the attention of farmers to these
points that they may be prepared to answer
any arguments in favor of any considerable
increase in the prices demanded for ferti
lizers.
The price of cotton next season will proba
bly be sufficient to justify dealers in selling
at but a small advance on last year’s prices.
A PatenS Fertiliser Which Anybody
May Use.
In December lost the United States Circuit
Court, Baltimore, in the cose of Boykin and
Carmen against K. J. Baker <& Co., which
was argued before the court several weeks
ago, Judge Morris tiled his opinion in favor
of the defendants. The action was for al
leged infringement of a patent for the
manufacture of fertilizers held by the com
plainants, from the manufacture and sale
of which they would have derived large
profits, had not the defendants and others
infringed upon tlieir patent. The court
held that the only difference between the
formula patented by complainants from the
old Liebig formula was the substitution of
dissolved bone and ground plaster for ground
bone and calcined pluster, ami that the
patent was invulid for want of novelty or"
any patentable discovery. A large interest
was involved in the result of this suit.
The patent in question is No. 200,077,
dated July 10, 1878, and it describes the
making of the fertilizer us follows:
Tliis invention relates to a combination
of chemicals to be used in connection with
dry peat or muck and unleached ashes, or
with any refuse matter having fertilizing
properties, to form a fertilizing compound;
and it consists in combining dissolved bone,
ground plaster, nitrate of soda, sulphute of
soda, and sulphate of ammonia, in propor
tions substantially ns follows:
Dissolved bone, three bushels; ground
plaster, three bushels; nitrate of soda, forty
pounds, sulphate of soda, forty pounds; and
sulphate of ammonia, thirty-three pounds.
This mixture is incorporated with, suy,
twenty bushels of dry |>eat or muck, and
three bushels of unleaehed ashes.
The manner of preparing a fertilizing
comi>ound from the above ingredients is as
follows: The peat or muck and ushes, if
such matter is used as the base of the mix
ture, are first thoroughly mixed with the
dissolved bone, ami the nitrutc of soda,
sulphate of soda, and sulphate of ammonia,
after being dissolved in water, added
thereto. The ingredients are next incor
porated witli the ground plaster, after which
tile compound is allowed to stand for, suy,
thirty or forty days, when it becomes ready
for use.
Cotton Heed OH va. Lord.
From tlic New Orleans Picayune.
It is reported that a revolution will soon
be effected in the consumption of lard by
pure refined cotton seed oil taking its place.
This article is now selling in large lots for
export at about 40 cents per gallon, and is
being rapidly taken up for consumption in
the Southern States and in Europe, and we
aro informed by good authority that over
3,000 tierces have been taken from Tennes
see and Arkansas oil refineries by the trade
in provisions, to be used as a substitute for
lard in the interior and in the vicinity of
the refineries. It is also reported that large
quantities have been taken here by the local
and interior trade, hence it is not improba
ble that if the movements in this product
have assumed the proportions reported, its
consumption instead of lard may reach con
siderable magnitude by next scuson.
There are two kinds of cotton seed oil-
crude and refined. The oil is used in the
manufacture of soap, by painters und for
lubricating purposes. Its great use, how
ever, heretofore as a substitute or adulterant
for olive oil, whose place it is rapidly sup
plying, and recently os described above, it
is being used in place of lard. It is nearly
impossible to detect good cotton seed oil
from the best brands of olive by taste, smell
or any other process. This the olive grow
ers of Italy have been unwillingly compelled
to acknowledge.
The usual adulteration of the olive oil is
by mixing 25 per cent, of it with 75 per cent,
of cotton seed oil, a fine table oil being the
result. Often the cotton seed oil receives
only a very small amount of some other oil
to give it “a ttavor.” How much of the
product of the cotton seed passes into olive
oil and is eaten with relish and delight by
the epicures it is impossible to say, but that
the greatest portion is so eaten is shown by
the countries to which New Orleans exports
this product. Of 0,000,000 gallons, shipped
during 1870-80, 88 per cent, was ex|iorted on
orders from Europe to tho Mediterranean
and French ports, and one-half of this to
Italy. This is more than the entire olive oil
production of France and one-fifth of that
of Italy itself. As the United States im
ports only one-tenth this amount of ollJe(?)
oil, it is evident that not only the people of
this country, but the experienced epicures
of Europe as well, make their salads with
tho products of the cotton seed. Some oil,
also, goes West, where it figures as olive oil,
without the intervention of a voyage across
tho Atlantic, but at least two-thirds of the
entire product of the country (15,000,000
gallons) is exported to Europe. It is thought
that in time the prejudice now existing
against cotton seed oil will be overcome,
and our people, like those of Europe, take
to cooking their food in oil, as the Hebrews
do, instead of using lard.
The Folljr of Fnrmlnff too Much Land.
Ht. Louis Journal of Agriculture,
Many sermons have been preached to
farmers upon this fruitful topic. Books
have been written to show the good sense
of having “smull farms well tilled.” One
man entitled his book “Ten Acres Enough, ”
and still another, we believe, “Five Acres
Too Much.” But if one will travel through
many of the funning regions of the West
he cannot fail to see that most farmers are
trying to till too much land. Many corn
fields arc thickly matted with weeds and
foxtail grass, while that “nuisance of nui
sances,” the cockleburr, is literally “taking”
whole fields. Where such a state of things
exist it is too true that the owner is “scut
tling it" over too much land! But we in
tend no sermonizing over this subject at
this time, but merely to give the experi
ence of one of the solid farmers of Iowu in
in keeping “Five Cows on Five Acres.”
The writer, Mr. S. G. Davenmore, a most
| intelligent gentleman, of Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, relates his experience in the last Iowa
Homestead.
I have live acres, about two and three-
fourths in pasture, mostly blue grass.
I liavea strip fourteen rods long and four
rods wide, that consist of timothy and clo
ver, which I cut twice, and sometimes three
times a season. As soon as it will do to cut
I feed it regularly to the cows twice eacli
day, and it lusts until tho corn is ready to
use. There is u strip fourteen rods long and
ten rods wide, which I plant with sweet
corn for fodder. I made a dropper that I
attach to u two-horse planter, which makes
the stalks about two inches apart in the
row. I plant at three different times, so as
to have it early and late. About the first
of July I commence to thin it out, leaving
a stalk about once in a foot. By the time
I get over, the piece that is left is nearly
cared out. Then I commence cutting it up
clean. When I get itlialf cut up I plow tho
ground and sow winter rye. I sow the bal
ance as soon as the com is off. This makes
good pasture late in the fall and early in
the spring.
We feed our cow six quarts of corn meal
and bran, mixed equal parts by weight,
er.cli day. This is the way 1 summer five
cows on five acres, nnd have done so for
three years past. I have four Jersey cows
and ono Guernsey. I have raised five calves
and huve made 1,300 pounds of butter each
year, after using cream and milk for a fam
ily of four during that time. I manure the
ground high, and that is wlmt mukes good
crops, Tho first planting of corn this sea
son is about eight feet high, and the lust
about two and one-half feet, and growing
at the rate of four inches daily.
The Castor OH Bean.
A pamphlet issued by a Now York tallow
and soup manufacturing concern gives the
following brief instructions regarding tho
plautingand cultivation of the castor bean,
that may be suggestive to growers of the
plant in its appropriate latitude: “Almost
any soil that will produce Indian corn will
answer for the custor beau, but a sandy
loam is preferable. The soil should be
deep. This crop docs not thrive in heavy,
wet soils. The ground should bo well
plowed, und harrowed three or four times.
The seeds should be planted five or six teet
apart ouch way. Between the sixth and sev
enth rows the distance should be eight feet,
toadiuita light curt or slide, in harvesting
the crop. Hot water, a little below the boil
ing temperature, should be ppured over tho
beans twenty-four hours before planting,
and they should remain soaking in this wa
ter twenty-four hours. They germinate
much quicker by using hot water. Eight
or ten seed should be droppep in each hill
und covered to the depth of about two
inches. The beans should be planted as
soon as all danger of frost Is past, or about
the time cotton is planted. Cultivate shal
low, keep the weeds down and the surface
well pulverized. One stock in a hill is suf
ficient, but do not thin out until the cut
worm season is passed. When the pods be
gin to turn brown it is time to harvest cas
tor oil beuns. They should be spread out in
the hot sun, on hard, clean surface, allow
ing twelve or fifteen feet for the beans to
tty when the pods pop. A temporary plank
fence around the drying yard la best,”-*
[Prairie Farmer,