294 EOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



might be developed from the germs that had not been 

 killed. 



In the ordinary process of filling a silo the object aimed at 

 is to prevent fermentation by keeping the green fodder well 

 packed as it is put in, and even under these precautions the 

 temperature of the mass often rises above 100°. I have 

 observed a temperature of 105° when the greatest care had 

 been taken in packing the silo as it was filled. 



With less tramping of the mass, and when the work of 

 filling the silo is extended over a period of several days, the 

 temperature may rise to a point that is fatal to the bacteria ; 

 and this may be the explanation of the reported cases in 

 which the ensilage is said to be " sweet," or free from 

 acidity. 



When the precise conditions as to the required tempera- 

 ture are known, the better plan may be to fill the silo with- 

 out any packing beyond what is produced by the weight of 

 the superincumbent mass, and then allow it to remain until 

 the desired temperature is reached, before putting on the 

 cover and weights. 



The best method can, however, only be determined by 

 carefully conducted experiments that are made with a full 

 knowledge of the difierent conditions that may have an in- 

 fluence in modifying the results. It cannot, however, be 

 doubted that acidity in the ensilage can only be produced 

 by conducting the process so that the temperature does not 

 rise above the point that is fatal to the bacterial ferment 

 (probably 115° to 120°). 



In filling silos, observations on temperature have been 

 generally neglected, and we therefore lack the necessary 

 data for determining the precise temperature required to 

 prevent fermentation, or the conditions under which it may 

 be produced, from the results of practical experience. But 

 a single case has come to my knowledge, where such obser- 

 vations have been made, when the resulting product was 

 sweet ensilage. Mr. George Fry of England reports the 

 results of some experiments made the present season, which 

 are of particular interest in connection with the observations 

 recorded above. 



In a silo, filled with "rough grass" and " clover and rye 



