SILOS AM) SILAGE, 7 I") 



It is essential to surround the stack with a fence sufficiently substantial to 

 prevent stock of any kind reaching the fodder. Without this, calves, pigs, 

 horses, and cattle, are always attracted; they draw out stalks all round to 

 got at the edible portion, and by this means admit air to the stack, check the 

 fermentation changes, and spoil it for fodder. The crop should be stacked 

 immediately after cutting. 



Crops Most Suitable. 



In making recommendations as to suitable crops, especially on the coast, 

 two points demand consideral ion. The almost complete absence of harvesting 

 machinery <>n the coast greatly restricts the number of crops that can be 

 ensiled economically, compelling small areas of bulky crops, while the humid 

 summer and autumn, with the resultant plentiful supply of fodder, and the 

 comparatively dry winter and spring, with their corresponding period of 

 shortage, also comprise qualifying factors. 



While most fodder crops included in the economy of the coastal farm are 

 suitable for silage in a greater or less degree, there are many reasons why 

 maize should invariably be selected for the silage crops. Maize produces the 

 greatest bulk of fodder, is easy of production and handling, and its silage is 

 of the most nutritious and palatable nature. Further, as there is usually no 

 shortage of fodder on the farm during the growing season of maize, the crop 

 can be well spared for purpose of silage, and when the maize crop lias been 

 cut for silage, ample time remains to fit the soil for a winter fodder crop, 

 especially if the maize has been sown in drills and cultivated. 



S >rghums and millets are also eminently suited for silage purposes, but 

 although producing a finer stalk than maize, and thus being comparatively 

 free from the possible coarseness of the latter, they cannot usually compare 

 with it in point of yield, except in the case of sorghum upon inferior soils. 

 The high sugar content of sorghum, however, causes a corresponding 

 development of acidity when subjected to the fermentative changes in the 

 silo, resulting in the production of sour or acid silage, which is regarded 

 (particularly in the northern areas) as being slightly superior to sweet silage 

 for milk production. There is an element of risk with sorghum on account of 

 its poisonous tendencies, and if it should be necessary to ensile an immature 

 crop or one stunted by drought conditions, particularly in cloudy weather, 

 it is advisable to cut it twenty-four hours before stacking. 



Paspalum, cowpeas, Sudan grass, the various winter green fodders, etc., 

 may all be included in the list of silage crops but for reasons specified above 

 they are unlikely to ever gain the popularity of maize for this purpose. 

 While discussing winter green fodders for silage, however, special mention 

 should be made of the combination crops, that is, mixtui'es of wheat or 

 oats with field peas or vetches. Yields of 15 tons of green fodder per acre 

 are not uncommon with these crops, and, although when at their maximum 

 there is commonly a pressing need for green fodder, at the same time any 

 surplus can well be conserved as silage where the requisite machinery is 

 available. The mixture of cereal and legume is usually so complete in these 

 combination crops as to entirely avoid all risk of uneven settling — a risk 

 that has to be guarded against when mixing one or more crops in the stack. 



Lucerne is not recommended as a silage crop. It is much more valuable 

 conserved as hay then as silage ; but, as is frequently the case in districts of 

 copious rainfall, when lucerne hay becomes rain-damaged during the process 

 of curing it can be converted into silage with advantage. 



