A. Amos and H. E. Wuodjiax 341 



then a nest was hollowed out into which was first put a short length of 

 iron gas tubing containing a maximum thermometer. Immediately on 

 top of the thermometer was placed a sample bag. Then more chaf1:'ed 

 fodder was trodden in until the height of the fodder reached 4 ft., at 

 which level a second sample bag was placed with maximum thermometer 

 as before. More chaft'ed fodder was added and trampled until with the 

 aid of the extensions previously described the toj) of the silage reached 

 (j ft. 6 in. or 7 ft. in height. The silo was then left '24 hours to settle, 

 after which about 6 in. of soil was thrown on top for the purpose of 

 excluding air. Eventually the silage settled until at the time of opening 

 the level of the tojj of the silage was about 5 ft. 



Two sample bags put into the big silo were provided with similar 

 maximum thermometers, and in addition a 4 ft. length of stout string 

 was tied at one end to the bag and at the other to a short thatching peg. 

 The men filling the silo were instructed to keep pulling up the peg as 

 long as possible, so that when the silage was being used the peg might 

 come into view before the sample bag and so give warning of the 

 proximity to the sample. 



Opening of the Silos. 



The small silos were opened at convenient times during November, 

 by which time all fermentation had long since ceased and the tem- 

 perature had for the most part cooled down nearly to that of the pre- 

 vailing air temperature. Notes were made of the condition of successive 

 layers in the silos as these were emptied, and so soon as a bag was 

 exposed it was removed, cleaned and weighed. The bag was then quickly 

 emptied, cleaned and weighed again; the difference between these two 

 weights giving the net weight of contained silage. The silage, emptied 

 from the bag, was then quickly mixed together, a sample taken from 

 this, placed in a tin, and sent down to the laboratory for analysis. 



The two sample bags in the commercial silo were retrieved soon after 

 the markers came into view and whilst the general level in the silo was 

 still one to two feet above the bags. 



When silo 1 was opened on November 10th, it was found that there 

 was no more than 4 in. of spoilt material at the top of the silo; then 

 14 in. of good silage was removed before the first bag (bag No. 2) was 

 reached. This silage possessed a distinctly green colour and a pleasant 

 odour with no suggestion of sourness. The aroma can best be described 

 as "fruity."' Bag 1 was taken out on November 15th. It was situated 



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