742 THE farmers' handbook. 



pressed with very good results by placing planks on the top and weighting 

 these with large stones; sand-bags have also been used for this purpose with 

 success. Any simple method of continuous pressure which the farmer may 

 devise will be of use, and each farmer should use the system of continuous 

 pressure which is most easily obtainable. 



Any bushman can rig a contrivance for protecting a self-registering ther- 

 mometer, which can be used for ascertaining the temperature of the con- 

 tents of the pit from time to time. A simple yet practical way of deter- 

 mining the temperature is to run a fth or ^-inch pointed iron rod into the 

 contents of the pit; leave it there for a time; if on drawing it out the rod 

 is too hot to hold in the hands, the temperature is too high; if only fairly 

 warm, the temperature is too low; whereas if it is just about as hot as one 

 can bear, the temperature is about right. If the heat is too great it can be 

 reduced by consolidating the contents and excluding the air. If, on the 

 other hand, the temperature is too low, the filling of the pit should be tem- 

 porarily stopped to enable the requisite temperature to develop. 



A safer plan would be to screw a point on to a length of inch piping, which 

 could be thrust deeply into the mass, and in, say, ten minutes a thermometer 

 could be lowered into the pipe. 



Value of Silage as Food. 



Silage is eaten eagerly by sheep and cattle; mares also, with foal at foot, 

 take to it, but, speaking generally, it is not suitable for horses. There is 

 often considerable loss in ewes near lambing from constipation, and in lambs 

 after lambing from the ewes going dry — in both cases owing to the dryness 

 of the natural feed. These losses can be avoided by giving the ewes a small 

 daily ration of silage, the laxative effect of silage being greater, if anything, 

 than that of green feed, and the milk^producing quality being equal to that 

 of green feed. 



While there is any dry feed about, a ration of 1 lb. a day will be quite 

 sufficient for sheep; but as the dry feed disappears, it will be advisable to 

 gradually increase the ration to 3 lb. a day. At these rates, 1 ton of silage 

 will give a daily ration of 1 lb. to 2,000 sheep, allowing a fair margin for 

 possible, but not probable, waste, while 3 tons will give a full daily ration. 

 When it is remembered that, in drought times, if chaff or hay can be obtained 

 at £8 per ton it is considered very reasonable, and also that dry feed is 

 not nearly so suitable for either breeding ewes or milch cows as silage, the 

 value of silage is much greater than its moderate cost. In fact, once green 

 feed has disappeared, there is nothing within the reach of the sheep-farmer 

 which approaches silage as a cheap and satisfactory food for sheep. 



Silage is ready for use in two to three months. It is practically 

 indestructible, and does not deteriorate by length of time; so that, if not 

 wanted for a number of years, it is as good when opened up as when 

 first ready for use. Further, there is no danger of loss from fire, flood, 

 rabbits, mice. &c., the silage (when not chaffed) being a solid mass that 

 must be cut out with a strong hay-knife or a broad axe. 



Material for Silage. 



To make good silage it is essential that the material used should contain 

 the right amount of sap. If it is too dry it is likely to mould or to char — ■ 

 that is, the heat which is generated will, although not causing actual 

 burning, produce a charred condition of the material and render it useless. 



