Preserving Green Forage 29 



There are other methods of getting pressure, 

 with levers, also with water; but these are 

 no cheaper and not so convenient, because 

 with jack-screws, costing from $2 to $4 each, 

 you can remove the screws and blocking at 

 pleasure, and set them back as you cut down, 

 keeping the pressure on, which is a great 

 advantage. But with water, even if you have 

 an aqueduct to run the water in and out the 

 barrels with a hose, the water may freeze; and 

 the barrels are always in the way and cost 

 more than to press with screws and rods. 



It does not work well to have a double cover 

 running lengthwise and crosswise the silo, for 

 you cannot remove part of it at a time. The 

 best cover is 2-inch plank, laid directly upon 

 the forage, with 6x6 timber laid across length- 

 wise, about 3 feet from the side walls, to keep 

 the plank level. Uncover no faster than you 

 cut down. I have found by repeated examina- 

 tions that, when you uncover the whole top to 

 feed out, by forking it off, the top, owing 

 to exposure to the air, is about twice as sour 

 as it is about 2 feet below where you fork from, 

 so that the stock get twice as much acid as 

 there is any occasion for, and often more than 

 is healthy. 



