678 



Journal of Agriculture. 



[lo Nov.. 1909-. 



this, however, no tramijling shouhl be done directly on heating silage. At 

 least a foot depth of material should l>e filled into the pit each day before- 

 trampling is resumed ; which will prevent the direct application of inter- 

 mittent pressure to the heating silage beneath." 



How^ever, the object of trampling down the fodder when spreading it 

 being to insure its even distribution, if that work is properly carried out, each 

 day up to the time of leaving the pit, it is unnecessary to repeat the work 

 next morning before fresh material is added. Still, as silage is occasionally 

 more or less spoiled in the making, and no apparent reason for the failure 

 is discoverable from the information supplied as to the filling, Mr. Kerr's 

 idea is worth noting. That strange mistakes are made at times is shown 

 from the investigation of one case wherein silage making was reported as 

 not having turned out satisfactorily in this district. From the report,' the 

 filling appeared to have been done properly. On examination of the- 



HILLSIDE PIT SILO, MR. T. McINTVRE S FARM. 



material, however, it was found that the owner had endeavoured to make- 

 his maize crop go further in the pit l)y putting in some considerable bulk 

 o^ dry straw with it. This fact hr had not considered to be worth 

 mentioning when complaining about the result. The mixture made rather 

 an expensive manure, but it was fit for nothing else. 



About eighteen years ago, the late Mr. David Syme put down the first 

 silage pit on his Killara farm on the Yarra flats. This was a rectangular 

 brick pit in the side of the hill, on the bank of the Wandin Yallock Creek. 

 A race from another creek — the Woori Yallock — supplies the driving power 

 for a water-wheel, by the aid of which the fodder is chaffed into the pit. 

 This first silo was of alx)ut 95-ton capacity. Some six years later this was 

 .supplemented by another pit adjoining it, of the samt* width and 

 length, but rather deeper, and holding about 15 tons more. These pits 

 have been kept in regular use. About 100 acres of maize are grown to 

 provide for a herd of from 200 to 250 milkers. A large proportion of the- 

 crop is fed to the stock green, being carted- to the grazing paddocks in the 



