496 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



" [In an 80-ton silo with galvanized-iron lining] there was lost only 6.38 per cent 

 of the dry matter pnt into it in 1897, including that spoiled on the top and above the 

 doors, but only 3.66 per cent of that below the 2 surface layers. Even in the small 

 1,580-pound metal silo the total loss, including that spoiled on top, was but 8.57 per 

 cent, while the mean loss from the middle and bottom layers was only 5.3 per cent, 

 and yet the silage had stood under the conditions of summer temperature and sun 

 during 180 days. 



"The observations with these silos prove that where the linings are strictly air- 

 tight very small losses need ])e sustained even in small silos and that when the air is 

 not excluded the losses must increase in proportion to the openness of the silo lining." 



Attention is called to the loss which occurs at the top of silos and 

 that due to slow feeding. 



"The data which have been collected show that silos left without covers of any 

 sort from early September until March without being disturbetl develop about 28 lbs. 

 of spoiled silage per square foot of surface, while silos opened from the middle of 

 October to the middle of December have an average of about 16 lbs. of spoiled silage 

 per square foot of surface. These rates give 2,832 and 4,956 lbs. of loss for a silo 15 

 ft. in diameter, which is 1.4 and 2.5 per cent on 100 tons of silage. . . . 



"Next to the losses due to the surface decay between filling and opening the silo 

 the most serious one is that which is due to too slow feeding." 



Rise and future of irrigation in the United State, E. Mead ( U. S. Dept. Agr. 

 Yearhooh 1S99, pp. 591-612, jjIx. '>). — The topics discussed in this article are: Remains 

 of ancient irrigation works, early irrigation in California, beginnings of modern irri- 

 gation, objections to corporate canals, water-right problems of the arid regions, the 

 appearance and resources of the arid regions, present and future of irrigation, and 

 the commercial importance of irrigation. 



Progress of road building in the "United States, M. O. Eldridge ( U. S. Dept. 

 Agr. Yearbook 1899, pp. 367-380, pis. 4) ■ — This is a review of the history and present 

 status of road building in the United States and includes discussions of the following 

 topics : Road methods of the first settlers, forced-labor s}'stem and roads of the early 

 colonists, inauguration of turnpike roads by chartered companies, era of speculation 

 and restoration of forced-labor system, national highways, introduction and develop- 

 ment of steam railroads, difficulties of transportation and of travel, estaljlishment of 

 the Office of Public Road Inquiries, and progress of the movement in the United 

 States for good roads. 



Soiling, ensilage, and stable construction; being a revised edition of Soil- 

 ing, summer and winter, F. S. Peer {Xeiv York: M. F. yfrDisfield, 1900, pp. 241, 

 figs. 34). 



STATISTICS— MISCELLANEOUS. 



Annual Report of Minnesota Station, 1899 { Minnesota Sta. Rpt. 1899, pp. 

 XX-r610). — The report proper i-ontains a financial statement for the fiscal year ended 

 June 30, 1899, and a detailed review of station work during the year. Sleteorologi- 

 cal observations are given and Bulletins 60-64 of the station, treating of the following 

 subjects, are reprinted: Beef cattle and swine (E. S. R., 11, p. 175); butterfiies and 

 moths injurious to our fruit-producing plants (E. S. R., 11, p. 170) ; wheat — varieties, 

 breeding, cultivation (E. S. R., 11, p. 638); miscellaneous analyses (E. S. R., 11, p. 

 812); composition of tomatoes (E. S. R., 11, p. 843); proteids of wheat fiour (E. S. R., 

 11, p. 872); black or summer rust of wheat (E. S. R., 11, p. 861); and Hessian fly, 

 migratory locusts or grasshoppers (E. S. R., 11, p. 864) . 



Thirteenth Annual Report of Nebraska Station, 1899 {Xel>r<i.'<ka Sta. Rpt. 



