silos \\i. mi.\..i. 



VV.I 



'The practice in raising a crop for silage is to plough <>r disc up stubble 

 land as soon as the wheal is off, and sov« early. The only operations are 

 ploughing, harrowing, and drilling. 



A Pit Silo. 



Feeding the Silage to Sheep. 



The pits are uncovered by simply removing the earth with a scoop. If 

 any earth happens to get mixed with the silage, it shakes out when the silage 

 is thrown to the stock. It is preferable to open up a section at a time — say 

 16 feet of the length of the pit. The silage will be found to have a coating 

 of, perhaps, 2 or 3 inches of rotten material. This can easily be forked out 

 of the way. The silage is densely packed and almost as solid as wood, and is 

 cut out in benches of about 4 feet the full width of the pit with an axe or an 

 adze. When a clear face is obtained and a block is cut, the silage can be 

 lifted quite easily. One man can feed 800 to 1,000 sheep daily, giving them 

 a liberal allowance. • The silage need only be thrown out over a clean piece 

 of ground, and well spread. It is better to get a good deal out every day 

 before the sheep are allowed to feed, as they not only surround the waggon 

 and are likely to be injured, but the strong ones run ahead picking the choice 

 bits and trampling the remainder. Sheep should be drafted into lots 

 according to their strength for feeding ; if this is not done, the strong ones 

 take all the best of the silage and leave only coarse straw for the weaker 

 ones. This is likely to cause compaction in the stomachs of those sheep 

 which continually get the worst of the feed. If the sheep are about all of the 

 same strength they get the feed equally and no trouble will be experienced. 



No other foodstuff need be given with the silage, and the sheep do well. 

 It is necessary, however, to give an ample supply of common salt, in which 

 about 6 per cent, of Epsom salts has been mixed. 



