Vot. XVIII. No, 452. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



539 



traded droughts. Burtt-Davy recommends that when 

 stock is fed with maize silage, in order to give balance to 

 the ration, pl<nters should grow a leguminous crop, and 

 mix it with the feed. He mentioned the following plants 

 as being of value for this purpose : velvet beans, cowpeas, 

 and peanuts, all of which thrive in Antigua. In writing 

 on the methods of ensilage the authority quoted above 

 states: — 



'Three methods of preparation are in vogue — staking, 

 burying in a pi^, and preserving in an air tight chamber. The 

 principle is the same in all cases, i.e , development of a 

 limited degree of fermentation, followed by the exclusion 

 of air to prevent desiccation and to arrest decomposition. 

 The means cf obtaiuing these ends is to build up a mass of 

 moist vegetation which then begins to sweat. If this 

 sweating were allowed to continue indefinitely "spontaneous 

 combustion" would ensue, and the mass would be spoiled. 

 The most suitable temperature is from 130° F. to 140' F. 

 To prevent increase of temperature above this point fresh 

 material is added. The added weight, tending to com- 

 press the lower mass, forces out the air, excludes a fresh 

 supply of oxygen, and thus checks fermentation. In 

 practice it is not necessary to use a thermometer to 

 deterilliie the actual temperature. If the surface heat becomes 

 so great that one can only with difficulty bear to keep 

 the hand in it more fodder should be added to the pit, 

 which when filled should be sealed up : but if it does 

 not get warm, it should be kept open for a few days, 

 and a little water may be poured on to it.' 



The above extract should be of use to any planter 

 contemplating the making of ensilage. In addition, it 

 might be added that some authorities state that ensilage 

 is improved by the addition of salt at the rate of li tt). 

 to every ton of green material. A cubic foot of silage is 

 reckoned a daily ration for a cow in milk. The Missouri 

 Fanners Bullelin, No. 11, sums up the advantages of 

 silage as follows : — 



1. Silage keeps young stock thrifty and growing all 



winter. 



2. It produces fat beet more cheaply than dry feed. 



3. It enables cows to produce milk and butter more 



economically. 



4. Silage is more conveniently handled than dry fodder. 



5. The silo prevents waste of corn stalks, which contain 



about one-third the food value of the entire crop. 



6. There are no aggravating corn stalks in the manure 



when silage is fed. 



7. The silo will make palatable food of stuffs that 



would not otherwise be eaten. 



8. It enables a large number of animals to be main- 

 tained on a given number of acres. 



9. It enables the farmers to preserve food which 



matures at a rainy time of the year, when drying 

 would be next to impossible. 

 10. It is the most economical method of supplying food 

 for the stock during the hot dry periods in summer, 

 and when pasture is short. 



At a recent meeting of the Liguanea Agricultural .Society, 

 Jamaica, a committee was appointed to go into the 

 question of communal silos for lower St. Andrew. 



The President submitted the following notes, asking if 

 the Secretary would kindly give the benefit of his remarks 

 and advice, which should be received in time to put before 

 the committee of the central Society. The notes are as 

 follows : — 



' I think we should first sett'e on a standard silo which 

 I suggest should be of the following dimensions and 

 capacity: 



Dimensions :-- 1-2 ft. diameter x 40 ft. depth (10 ft. 

 below ground and :30 ft. above). • 



Capacity— SO tons. Cost -say £100. 



(T-vm silos of smaller capacity might be preferable 

 to a larj^e one.) 



Material — cement c >t.crete reinforced with wire. 



Such a silo would provide forty cows with 2.5Df). food 

 per diem for sis months. 



For the purpose of inviting discussion I suggest 

 communal alios with capital of 10 shares of £10 each.' 



,1. That ten freeholJera in a locality agree among 

 themselves to select a site for a silo. 



2. Each to subscribe not less than £5, thus securing 

 one share. 



3. Each to agree to cultivate and reserve not less 

 than 2i acres in guinea grass, or good ploughable land 

 for silage crops. 



4. The Capitalist, Building Society, or Loan Bank, 

 to provide the balance of unsubscribed capital, and arrange 

 for the erection of the .Silo. 



5. The cost of erection to be a first charge on the 

 properties pro rata, and the Capitalist, etc , to be so secured. 



6. The 21 acres of land must ba ear-marked to each 

 share, so that, if a share is transferred, the right to cultivate 

 that land must go with it. 



7. In the case of an encumbered freehold the benefits 

 of the communal silo would, I am of opinion, be sufficient 

 inducement for the mortgagee to become a joint shareholder 

 with the mortgagor, and to pat up the other £5 due on the 

 share. 



8. That His Excellency the Governor be asked to autho- 

 rize the erection of the silos under the supervision of th» 

 Public Works Department. 



Coco-nuts and Vanilla in Nevis.— It is state! 

 in the Report of the Agricultural Instructor, Nevis, for 

 191718, that the coco-nut plantation at Pinneys estate 

 continues to do well, and the trees continue to bear abun- 

 dantly. Unfortunately ths manurial experiments had to be 

 discontinued on account of the difficulty in procuring 

 manures. 



The total number of nuts reaped during ths year was 

 138,000, which were practically all sold in the local market 

 and in the neighbouring islands. The nuts are used chiefly 

 for making coco-nut cake and coco-nut oil, which is now 

 largely used in the place of lard for frying fish, etc. 



The plantations at Paradise and .Jones estates are also 

 doing well. Coco-nuts are also planted on the coast lands on 

 Stoney Grove, Round Hill, and Cliftons estates. These 

 young plantations are all doing well, and are, on the whole 

 very promising. 



There are at present over .500 acres planted in the 

 island, and the cultivation i-^ extending every year, 



The vanilla at Maddens estate continues healthy, arid 

 a good crop of beans was reaped this season. The crop was 

 nearly 1,000 ft), of cured beans. 



Trials were made in sunning the beans under glass, 

 instead of placing them directly in the sun. This method is 

 giving very satisfactory results. 



