692 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [ 15 A'ov., 1919. 



bill is to be met. It is essential for the benefit of tlie country at large, 

 and especially for the populous and over-crowded towns, that the pro- 

 duction of the soil should be increased, not only above pre-war times, 

 but that it should be maintained at a higher productive standard 

 than it has attained to at the present day. With an abundant sup])ly of 

 potash and other artificial manures, with the arable lands being 

 thoroughly cultivated and cleaned of weeds, in addition to being drained 

 where necessary, and with a considerable increase of labour, there is no 

 doubt that it is a possible and not a difficult matter for the agricultural 

 production of this country to show a substantial increase. In bringing 

 back our lands to similar fertile conditions ,as was the case in the sixties, 

 it must be recognised that manual labour plays an important part. In 

 fact all the farming operations already mentioned as desirable to restore 

 the fertility of our soil lare dependent on labour. With the establish- 

 ment of the Wages Board, resulting probably in shorter hours, and 

 certainly in increased pay, labour is not the same cheap commodity it 

 was even before the commencement of the war. J^either would one wish 

 to see it. Farmers as a rule welcome the advent of a better time for the 

 farm hands — good eottages, and more time to devote to their home 

 duties — and they raise no objection, provided that prices will be main- 

 tained at such a point as to allow a fair profit, together with interest on 

 capital and working expenses connected with fann management. 



The question therefore arises hoAv is the cost of labour to be met in 

 the future, or rather, how is labour to be economized? One naturally 

 turns to labour-saving machinery and labour-saving methods of farm- 

 ing, and it is in connexion with the latter point that a consideration of 

 the economy of silage is involved. Silage has generallj- been regarded as 

 an alternative to the hay crop, but it is as a substitute for the root crop 

 that it is now being extensively used in the eastern counties. Of all 

 the purely agricultural crops on the farm none require so much labour 

 as roots. The frequent ploughing, cultivating, and harrowing, all require 

 a certain amount of manual labour, whilst one is entirely dependent 

 upon the farm hands in some form or other for the hoeing, singling, 

 pulling, and carting where necessary; and with this laborious work 

 must be included the pitting, cleaning, and slicing of the roots. From 

 the spring days of April, when mangold seed is planted, till the roots are 

 consumed by the stock in the following spring, labour is reqnii*ed in 

 order that the crop may perform its allotted task. .As the conditions 

 of root growing have changed in regard to this important item of labour, 

 can we not profit by the experience of America, where high wages have 

 ruled for many years? 



It will be found that in the United States the acreage of roots culti- 

 vated for j)urely agricultural purposes is comparatively almost nc-gligible, 

 and as la substitute for winter feeding to cattle the silo is much in evi- 

 dence. The making of ensilage i"? no new idea with the American fanner, 

 but it has demanded increased attention for the last thirty years, and 

 at the present time it is difficult in some districts to visit a farm hoine- 

 stead of any pretensions and not find an up-to-date silo. The feeding 

 of ensilage has become of such natipnal importance in the States that 

 when it was proposed last year to restrict the use of iron and steel bv 



