246 SOILING CROPS AND THE SILO. 



introduction and distribution of silos. And these in 

 turn have proved greatly helpful to farmers and 

 more especially to dairymen. 



The present discussion however will not be 

 a plea for the silo. It will look into both sides of % 

 the question for it is true that silos are not equally 

 necessary, that they are not equally helpful, that 

 some conditions of farming do not call for their 

 construction and that only certain kinds of 

 crops can be preserved in them with uniform 

 success. The aim will be therefore to discuss the 

 question as it is, and not as the Author might de- 

 sire it to be. 



Definition of Terms. A silo is a structure 

 designed for the preservation of food in the green 

 and succulent form. The term is derived from the 

 Greek word siros a pit for holding grain. In some 

 instances it is simply a pit or hole dug in the ground 

 where the drainage, natural or artificial, is sufficient 

 to prevent an undue accumulation of moisture. 

 In others it is a structure of wood, stone or some 

 other building material or a combination of these 

 standing out by itself or within a barn or stable of 

 which it may be said to form a part. More com- 

 monly it is now built entirely above ground although 

 sometimes it goes down for some distance into the 

 earth. The modern silo is usually a structure rather 

 than a pit, as the original idea of preserving food 

 in pits in the ground is but little practiced now, at 

 least in this country. 



Ensilage or Silage, as it is now more commonly 

 called, is green and succulent food preserved in a 

 silo in a green and succulent condition. It is 



