426 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH COR:Nr ENSILAGE. 



The silo described by Prof. M. Miles in the first annual 

 report of the station has been sub-divided into two independ- 

 ent compartments of equal size, each one accessible by a 

 separate entrance. This change has been made to meet 

 present resources of corn fodder for ensilage, and to carry 

 on two independent trials if desirable. 



One of these silos Avas filled with cut corn fodder as in 

 the previous experiments. The filling of this silo was carried 

 on as recommended by Prof. Miles and others, i. e., to fill 

 gradually and to defer the final covering and packing down 

 to the time when no further increase of temperature in the 

 mass can be noticed. This course purposes to restrict and, 

 if possible, prevent the alcoholic fermentation and subsequent 

 formation of acetic acid in consequence of the destruction of 

 the bacteria of fermentation by heat. 



The second silo was filled with whole corn fodder, care- 

 fully spread out and at once well tramped down. After 

 filling, the cover was put on and Aveighted down without 

 delay. 



The corn was in both cases kept down by an equal weight, 

 similar to that in the trial of the previous year, — barrels 

 filled with sand, giving a pressure of about sixty pounds 

 to the square foot. 



The corn fodder used for the filling of both silos was taken 

 from the fertilized plats, which are described in this report 

 in connection with the experiments concerning the eifect of 

 fertilizer on the quantity and quality of crops. The growth 

 of each plat was divided into two parts ; one-half Avas cut 

 into pieces 1^ to 1-|- inches in length, and subsequently filled 

 into one silo, the other half was packed into the second 

 one without being cut, as above described. 



This arrangement secured, as far as practicable, for both 

 trials, a material of a corresponding general character and 



