1 68 GUIDE TO DAIRYING IN SOUTH AFRICA 



Particular attention must be paid to the age at 

 which the crop is cut for ensilage. Immature stuff 

 should never be used. On the other hand, it should 

 not be overripe. The crop must be cut in the 

 "doughy" stage while the plant is still green. 

 Legumes such as lucerne, cowpeas, vetches, peas, 

 or soya beans, if required for ensilage, should be 

 cut when they are in full flower during the morning 

 and left lying on the field, and put into the silo as 

 late as possible after the hottest part of the day. 

 With mealies the crop should be harvested in the 

 cool part of the day, except when it is to be filled 

 in at once, to prevent wilting. 



When filling the silo, the intervals between 

 filling should never be so long as to allow the top 

 of the last layer to become mouldy. 



Before placing the mealie crop in the silo it 

 should be chaffed, i.e. put through the cutter and 

 cut into lengths of i inch to i J inches. This is to 

 ensure it packing better, to exclude air, and also for 

 ease in handling when it is required to be fed. 

 With a pit silo the cutter may be placed close to its 

 mouth so that the fodder drops straight down. It 

 must be well packed and tramped down round the 

 sides to exclude air. Should it be a raised silo it 

 must be filled through the top door, and a blower or 

 elevator will be required to fit on to the cutter. 



Should the silo be filled rapidly and weighted 

 down heavily the temperature of the mass will not 



