186 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



succulent food for the cattle about to be taken from the 

 pastures, the advantages shall more than balance the disad- 

 vantages. Knowing these things, we conclude the silo to be 

 a valuable addition to our farm systems. 



We have learned what I may call the mechanical chemistry 

 of the silo ; viz., that green fodder in mass keeps because the 

 air is expelled from it, and that the only oxygen consumed 

 in the metamorphoses is obtained from these metamorphoses 

 themselves. We know that the only practical method of ex- 

 pelling the air is by pressure on the top of the mass, and that 

 this pressure can best be applied by stones, sacks of sand or 

 earth, — substances of great specific gravity, — rather than 

 b}'' screws. 



There is no question as to the manner of compression ; and, 

 having settled that, we ask. How shall we mass the fodder ? 

 How shall we make the pit? Shall we make one at all? 

 Most of those who have experimented with the system in 

 Massachusetts have built tolerably expensive pits to keep 

 the fodder in, thinking the circulation of air around the mass 

 capable of causing it to rot, and, to insure close packing, 

 have cut the fodder into very small pieces. I should main- 

 tain, that, though such pits may be desirable when the 

 fodder is finely cut, still to keep it an air-tight pit is not 

 necessary ; for w^hat air would obtain access to a mass of 

 fodder through the sides of a pit, if it were boarded, or to 

 the bottom, if the bottom be the uncovered ground, would 

 not affect the result. We must not forget that the weight 

 on the top keeps out the air. 



This method of applying the system is efficient, and it has 

 miiny advantages. The pit is kept in permanent form, and 

 may require little work to keep in condition when once 

 made. Such pits are expensive, and many farmers have not 

 the money to pay for one. If, however, a farmer determines 

 to cut his fodder into inch pieces, I shall advise him to build 

 a silo that will last for years, and have it as near as possible 

 to the place where the ensilage is to be eaten. 



Kow in regard to cutting the fodder. I think those who 

 have advocated the cutting green corn-fodder to insure its 

 keeping may not have thoroughly understood this part of 

 the subject. I do not intend now to discuss all the points 

 of the silo system, but shall only endeavor to show the why 



