144 Colcord's System of 



they germinate at a temperature above 80 and 

 are killed above 122 Fahrenheit. The ob- 

 jection to this theory and practice is that true 

 fermentation cannot be controlled or stopped 

 before the ensilage becomes unfit for food, as 

 it has been proved that the germs of bacteria 

 will develop after having been exposed to a 

 temperature of 212 for some hours. 



I have therefore directed my experiments 

 with a view of preventing heat and fermenta- 

 tion entirely, as the only sure way of preserving 

 green forage; and, in order to ascertain the 

 possibilities of this system, I built a perfectly 

 air-tight silo, with smooth, perpendicular walls, 

 capacity of 6,528 cubic feet, about 150 tons, 

 384 square feet of top surface, arranged to 

 press with jack-screws, at pleasure, wherever 

 and whenever wanted ; filled it with green 

 corn in full milk, cut in half-inch lengths, lev- 

 elled carefully to level lines, i foot apart, 

 striped around the walls with a plumbago 

 pencil; covered it with 2-inch splined plank, 

 and around the sides with 4^ -inch rubber 

 packing, then covered with two thicknesses 

 of thick paper, kept in place with 4 inches of 

 sand all over it. 



Three governors, consisting of i-inch iron 

 pipe made into frames 6 by 26 feet, with 



