828 AoricuUural Gazette of N.S.JF. 



Oc.l. 2, 11)08. 



operations, as daiiviii^, it will l)i' kept in constant use. tliis plan will pro- 



bal)l\' prove most suit 



inic. 



( )n till' ollirr hand, in the casi' of tln' a\ craije 



sto -k farmer, where the supplv is simply lu'ld as a rtsci-ve in cast; of drought, 

 and may onXy be (h:;wn uf)on p(>rhaps once in five years, we hold the opinion 

 that t lie sim]il('r, if somewhat move rouuli and wastclul, inctliMd of jiittinij; 

 w ill he found most economical. This is our experience. Stacking we do not 

 approve of except where facilities for making a yit are not to hand. It is 

 nuich moi'C wasteful and niore costly in tlie liandling. 



One of the cheapest foi'ins of silo now in use is the lihro-cem^nt style. 

 With our own labour and cutting our own tiud)er on the place, we erected a 

 1 lO-tnn silo of tliis class at a cost of i^oo 2s. Gd. ; a No. 1 ."> Ohio cutter and 

 blo^vcr re(puring lOli.p. to drive it, cost a fiu'ther £42; and we can grow, 

 harvest, and till into it an average ci-ojt of soighum or maize at a cost of 

 4s. (id. per ton, inclu<ling intei-est on the plant employed exclusive^ of the silo 



im-^' 



** * 





- 1( 



Filling a Pit Silo. 



A pair of bullocks may be seen on the extreme ritrlit of the illustration pulling the load oil ; the team 



and wasH'Ou pass over the sorghum already in the pit, which assists to consolidate the silage. 



itself. Whether these silos will stand the test of time we cannot say. The 

 other method adopted here is the ordinary scooped pit, and we incline to the 

 oj)inion that this will prov(> th(» most economical method foi- the majoi-ity of 

 stock farmers. 



A convenient size for ordinary needs is 100 ft. x 2") ft. x 10 ft. deep, ends 

 battered to ."i in I. It can r(>adilv be put down with ordinary tank plough 

 and scoops, the sides being trimmed down as straight as the character of the 

 soil will allow, with a pick. The ca|iacity will be 390 cubic yards, at (id. 

 per yard will cost a fraction over £9, will last foi- many years, and hold about 

 200 tons of made silage to the level of the i,fround. Pits, however, should 

 always be heaped u]) another 4 or T) feet and rounded oil' so as to ensure the 

 silage beinii' well above the lii-ound lexcl after it has settled. We can till this 

 class of silo without chatting at a cost of 2s. 9d. ]iei- ton. inchuling cost of 

 growing crop, itc, as before ; chatl'ed it will cost the same as the tub silo. 

 The cost of emptying diftei's but little in either case. 



