192 Journal of Agriculture. [10 March, 19 10. 



Floor of Silo. — A. E. M.''. is erecting a concrete silo faced on the inside with 

 inch of cement, and wishes to know if a cement floor is necessary. 



Ansio&r. — -Such a floor would be an advantage, though not absolutely necessary. 

 Provision should be made for weep-holes for drainage. When filling, lime-washing the 

 walls should not be omitted. 



WoKKiX(; Chafpx'UTTER. — E. W.P. asks if chaffcatter for silage could be worked hy 

 a belt fiom fly wheel of horseworks on to a shaft with two pulleys, and from there to 

 the cutter, and would such an arrangement make it any harder for the horses. 



Answer. — -The proposed arrangement, which is simply a countershaft, is quite 

 feasible. The additional work put on the horses is trifling in amount. 



Reinforced Concrete Silos. — J.B. desires to know if the Department recom- 

 mends the construction of reinforced concrete silos. 



Aiiswpj: — Unless they ai'e well made by skilled workmen, concrete silos may prove 

 unsatisfactory, and this applies with equal force to all conciete work. For a reinforced 

 concrete silo of 100 tons capacity — 30 feet in height and 1.") feet inside diameter — the 

 thickness of wall at base should be 9 inches, and at top 4 inches. The reinforcing would 

 consist of three jVo. 8 wires every G inches in height, for the bottom 6 feet, two wires 

 the same distance apart for the next 15 feet, and one wire for the top 10 feet. On the 

 bottom 5 feet, 10 vertical rods (| inch) are set running into the foundation ring, 2 feet 

 wide by 2 feet deep, which is also lein forced horizontally by three rows of three wires 

 each. The roof may I e of any design, fastened to bolts set in the concrete. Port- 

 holes are 2 ft. x 2 ft 6 in., lined with 6 in. x 1 in. oregon attached to bolts let into 

 concrete. The walls .should be rendered after completion, and lime-washed before 

 filling. Complete j)lans and directions will be stqiplied u|)on application. 



C.^iPONiziNG. Turkeys. — J. P.M. asks whether caponizing of turkey gobblers is 

 recommended. 



Answer. — No, there is a risk of losing them. Turkeys are quite delicate 

 enough without running the risk of losi'^g 60 per cent, by the operation. It is a 

 simple matter to separate the sexes by erecting a high division or enclosure. The 

 best age to caponize is from five to six months. 



B.ACON Curing. — H.T.L. asks for particulars regarding the mild curing of 

 bacon. He wishes to know how the bright golden colour is obtained, and also 

 asks whether brine pumps are recommended. 



Answer. — The best way to- get the mild cure is to study the weather as much 

 as possible. Before kiUing, see that the pig is thoroughly cool and has rested 

 for at least twenty-four hours. Bleed well and give it a quick scald — three parts 

 of hot water to one of cold makes a good scald. Get it out of the water as 

 quickly as possible after scalding ; hang up and open, getting the entrails out as 

 soon as possible. The latter is one of the principal elements of success in bacon 

 curing. Pull the leaf lard out in order to get the animal heat out quickly; hang 

 the carcase in a cool place for, say, twelve hours. After cutting up, place the 

 sides, flesh side up, on the floor of the curing room ; sprinkle some salt and salt- 

 petre over the flesh side and allow them to remain there for three or four hours. 

 This procedure allows the humours to drain from the meat and gives it a much 

 better chance to cure. If the curing is done in pickle there is no necessity to 

 rub the bacon when applying the salt and sugar, but, in T)lacing in the tank, do so 

 carefully so as not to wash the salt off. Leave in pickle for forty-eight hours. 

 At the first shifting, move the joint of the ham and fore-hand well by pressing 

 all the blood from the veins in the ham; press and work down from the knuckle. 

 When placing the sides back in the tank be careful not to shake the salt ofi" the 

 bacon. When changing tanks, the meat at the top of the first tank should be 

 placed in the bottom of the second tank so that the pressure throughout will be 

 even. Always keep the bacon well covered with pickle by weighting with large 

 stones or screw jack. Shift the sides every other day for nine days ; take out 

 and stack on floor or bench, one side on top of the other. Shift every two days 

 for an additional six days. Then brush all salt ofl^ and thoroughly soak in cold 

 water for twelve hours; change the water and soak for six hours more. Then 

 wash in plenty of hot water ; brush and clean well ; string and hang up and wipe 

 over with dry cloth. When dry, trim all pieces from the face or flesh side of the 

 bacon and turn the latter flesh downwards. Take some salad soil, put a little 



over the skin with a cloth (not too much) and place bacon in a cool smoke of 

 kauri saw-dust. The saw-dust must not blaze. A little saltpetre sprinkled on the 

 saw-dust is very eff^ective in giving the skin a nice bright appearance. After 

 smoking, clean the skin with an oily rag and rub ofl^ with a dry cloth. Brine 

 pumps may be obtained from Melbourne firms, but their use is not advised if 

 they can possibly be done without, for the simple reason there are very few 

 people who can use them to advantage. One is liable to pump air with the 

 pickle, and when the air gets into the meat the latter L'oes bad. The price of a 

 pump is £.i,. 



