CHAPTER III. 



FILLING THE SILO. 



I COMMENCED cutting my green-corn fodder on Sept. 

 22, and finished putting on the stone for weight at three 

 o'clock P.M., Sept. 30, putting in about two feet in depth 

 daily. This is fast enough ; for the shrinkage will then 

 be much less when the weights are put on than it would 

 be were the Silo filled faster. 



The seven acres of corn-fodder filled one Silo to with- 

 in about 5J feet from the top. Upon the top of the 

 Ensilage I put about one foot of rye straw uncut. Then 

 I commenced at one end, and floored it over by laying 

 ij inch spruce plank crosswise the entire length. Upon 

 this floor I put about 25 tons of bowlders. I am not 

 sure that the straw is necessary : further experiments will 

 decide. I shall use less next season. 



The Ensilage settled about ij feet. There has been 

 no odor or steam arising from it. The cost of cutting 

 the corn up, hauling it to the cutter, cutting it T V of an 

 inch long, and packing it in the Silo, was not far from 75 

 cents per ton. 



It was new work. The cutter was not adapted to the 

 business, clogging badly and necessitating slow feeding. 

 All this combined to make it cost more than it will when 

 we become used to the work of handling large amounts 

 of green-corn fodder. 



