lo Aug., 1909.] Agricultural Production in Victoria. 



487 



necessarily increasing the yield of 

 grain in the same proportion. A crop 

 of hay yielding 2 tons to the acre will, 

 if cut at the right stage, yield more 

 than 7 tons of green fodder per acre. 

 By meaps of the silo this can he con- 

 served for use at tlie time of the year 

 Avhen pastures are denuded, and if 

 necessary can be carried on as a 

 reserve store for a number of years 

 in order to meet emergencies. Only 

 those Avho have had actual experience 

 of the silo can realize the enormous 

 advances w^hich its adoption has 

 brought about in the methods of Aus- 

 tralian agriculture. As an example, 

 I may quote Messrs. Tiiain Brothers 

 at Carapooee. Last Noveml)er, they 

 filled their silos with a crop of oats 

 grown on I 5 acres. They have been 

 feeding it during March, April, Mfiy 

 and June to 600 large framed merino 

 ewf'S and well-grown weaners. The 

 amount consumed by each sheep 

 averages between i lb. to i^ lb. per 

 day, the usual daily ration varying 

 from 800 to 900 lbs. The silage is 

 fed in wooden troughs made of three 

 6x1 flooring boards. These are shifted 

 every few days on lo a clean piece of 

 land. Every particle of silage is eaten 

 l)y the sheep. The troughs are cleaned 

 out as thoroughly as if they had been 

 brushed by hand, and there is no waste 

 silage lying on the ground close to 

 them. A fortnight ago, at the time 

 of my visit, the sheep were feeding 

 in a stubble paddock, and, as you 

 know, this season every stubble pad- 

 dock has a fairly luxuriant growth of 

 wild oats and self-sown coming on. 

 Messrs. Tbain Brothers' paddock was 

 certainly well above the average in j 

 this respect. Yet, the moment the 

 sheep saAv the cart enter the gate, they 

 instantly headed for the troughs. 



Now, consider what this means 

 A 15-acre crop produces enough fodder 

 to keep 600 ewes and we.iners in good 

 condition for three nmnths. This is 

 equivalent to 150 sheep for 12 months, 

 or in other words, by means of cultiva- 

 tion this paddock is made to carry the! 

 equivalent of 10 sheep (o the acre the! 



