A. Amos and G. Williams 827 



When the silo was opened numerous tiny patches of mould were 

 found throughout the whole depth of the silo and of necessity became 

 mingled \vith the rest when thrown down for feeding. This silage was 

 very dark brown almost black in colour, possessed a strong smell of 

 ammonia and was musty. Cattle, when fed upon it, only ate it under 

 compulsion unless they were able to pick out pieces uncontaminated 

 with mould. 



SiLARE AT Cambridge, 1917-1921. 



The silo has been partially or completely filled each of the five years 

 during the period, and in addition a silage stack was made in 1918. 

 Careful records were kejDt of the crop as ensiled and of the silage as 

 taken out. In many cases moisture content has been recorded by means 

 of weighed samples enclosed in wire netting sample-bags. 



Temperature has been recorded by two methods. In the first a 

 hollow iron gas-pipe was driven into the silage after the silo had been 

 filled. A thermometer was then lowered to different levels in the silage, 

 allowed to remain till it had taken up the temperature of the sur- 

 rounding silage, quickly pulled out and the temperature read off. 

 Readings were made at different depths at daily or longer intervals. 

 The length of the gas pipe was never more than 8 ft. It is obvious, 

 therefore, that the temperatures of the surface 8 ft. only could be 

 ascertained by this plan. The method is open to the further criticism, 

 that the silage is constantly settling; if, therefore, the tube is driven 

 in 8 ft. from the surface one day> and the silage settles, the tip of the 

 tube is no longer 8 ft. from the surface. In the observations recorded 

 the tube was driven in to the full depth after trampling the silage at 

 the time of the first reading and was not driven in further as the silage 

 settled. The temperature readings on subsequent days were therefore 

 taken at depths which corresponded approximately with the same layers 

 of silage as those from which the temperature was taken on the first day. 



In the second method maximum thermometers were buried in the 

 silo at more or less regular intervals as the filhng of the silo proceeded. 

 These were carefully corked within short lengths of iron gas pipe to 

 prevent breakage, and placed just beneath sample bags put in at the 

 same time. The thermometers were recovered as the silage was used and 

 the maximum temperatures recorded. 



In 1917 the silo was filled with a crop of oats and tares cut when 

 fairly mature, the oats being well in milk and the tares with full-growTi 

 pods and the seeds beginning to dent the pods. The crop, which was 



