230 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



surface. The cover was weighted with twelve inches of sand. On July 

 11th, and again on the 17th, the cover was taken off, and the silo was 

 filled with " meadow-grass," to make up for the loss in settling. The 

 temperature observed at these dates was 140° at a depth of six feet. 

 In another silo, filled with clover and " rye-grass " and " meadow- 

 grass," between June 30th and July 11th, when the cover was put on' 

 and weighted, the recorded temperatures were (July 7th) 149° and 

 (July 14th) 158°. The first-mentioned silo was opened October 25th, 

 and the ensilage is described as "of a brown color, and of a sweet, lus- 

 cious odor, free from acidity, very much resembling that of ordinary 

 hay," and it was at once eaten by cattle, sheep, and horses, with ap- 

 parent relish. 



Mr. James Chaffee, of Wassaic, New York, informed me that from 

 unavoidable delays in filling his silo with fodder-corn, in 1882, the 

 ensilage became so "hot," before it was covered and weighted, that 

 he feared it would be entirely spoiled ; but, when it was opened in the 

 fall, the fodder was perfectly preserved, of a brown color, and sweet, 

 delicious odor, without the slightest indication of acidity. His cows 

 ate it with such a decided relish that he had no hesitation in saying 

 it was the best ensilage he had ever made. Last year he followed the 

 usual method of rapid filling and thorough packing, and his ensilage, 

 when opened, was very sour, and in quality decidedly inferior to that 

 made in 1882. Other cases of a similar import might be given to show 

 that a temperature sufficiently high to kill the bacteria and prevent 

 fermentation can readily be obtained in the process of filling the silo, 

 and that the ensilage under such conditions is of much better quality 

 than when the temperature is kept within the range that is favorable 

 for the development of the acid ferments. 



Experiments are now needed to determine the exact temperatures 

 required for destroying the organisms that cause fermentation, under 

 the different conditions presented at the time of filling the silo, and 

 the special methods of practice that may be desirable in the treatment 

 of different crops. This field of experimental investigation is of the 

 greatest practical interest, and we may safely predict that the ther- 

 mometer will soon be found as indispensable in securing the best results 

 in the ensilage of green fodder as it is now in the various processes of 

 the dairy. 



GEOGEAPHY AND THE EAILKOADS. 



By Dr. J. JASTKOW. 



IT should be regarded as a prominent purpose, in any scientific de- 

 scription of the earth, to point out how geographical influences 

 have impressed their mark on organic and inorganic nature and in the 

 field of human civilization. Alexander von Humboldt set an admi- 



