320 AgriruUi/ral Journal of Vict&na. 



THE MODERN SILO. 



B>/ T. Cherry, M.B. 



The Necessity for Silage- 



Animals wliicli chew the cml differ from all other classes in 

 reqnirinu* their food comjiaratively juicy and 1)ulky. Their digestive 

 apparatus is formed to suit this kind of food. Hence the cow or 

 bullock cannot thrive on exclusively dry food so well as the horse. 

 In Victoria it is almost the invariable rule that green food completely 

 disappears from December till the autumn rains, while in many 

 districts it ha])penK tha.t there is little g-reen grass for six or eight 

 mouths in succession. In the northern areas there is often abundance 

 of trefoil, grasses, and self-sown crops going to waste in October and 

 November. In the south the maize crop caimot be eaten by the dairy 

 herd so fast as it matures. Any method liy which these green 

 fodders can bo preserved in the succulent condition is well worth the 

 attention of the farmer. It will enable him to utilise his hay and 

 straw to best advantage, and carry the stock through periods of 

 drought Avith cotaj)arative ease. By a combination of dry and 

 succulent food the largest amount of nutriment is extracted fi'om 

 both. In some districts green fodder and roots can be gro^ATi, and 

 these may take the place of silage, but in all cases it is a great 

 advantage to be able to secure the crop just when it is in the best 

 condition, and there is no question that, except where irrigation is 

 practicable, the silo will come to be regarded as indispeiLsa})le on 

 every progres.sive farm. 



The Cause of Former Failures- 



Up to the present, silage has not been a success in Australia. 

 Many farmers have tried the stack and pit, but few have continued to 

 use them. The reasons are, first, the degree of uncertainty as to how 

 the silage will turn out, and second, the unsatisfactory feeding results 

 often obtained. 



The conditions necessary to ensure good silage were laid down by 

 Gilbert and Lawes in 188G. They pointed out the necessity for 

 excluding the air, and the consequent advantage of first chafhng the 

 green stuff. [Jnfortunately many men jumped ta the conclusion that 

 any kind of stack ov heap would do if sufficiently weighted, and 

 disap} jointing results have followed. When green stuff of any kind is 

 put together in a heap, a rise of temperature ensues. This rise 

 of temperature shows that combustion of some kind is going on, and 

 unfortunately the material which first disa])pears from the silage by 

 this combustion is the sugar, which forms one of the valuable food 

 substances contained in the crop. Oxygen from the atmosphere 

 is absolutely necessary to keep up the combustion, and hence the key 

 to the production of first-class silage is the complete exclusion of the 



