SILOS, ENSILAGE AND SILAGE. 19 



origin of the process, or of the conditions which led to 

 its development. Although frequently mentioned by 

 writers on continental agriculture, the first detailed 

 description of the process, by an English author, so far 

 as I can learn, was given by Prof. J. F. W. Johnston, 

 in a paper " On the Feeding Qualities of the Natural 

 and Artificial Grasses in different states of dryness," 

 published in the " Transactions of the Highland and 

 Agricultural Society of Scotland," for 1843-45.* 



As Prof. Johnston's paper contains matter of general 

 interest, that is not accessible to many of our readers, 

 we make the following extended quotation. The first 

 paragraph, as will be seen, may well be applied to our 

 present knowledge of the economy of green feed. 



" Much knowledge remains yet to be acquired in ref- 

 erence to the most economical mode of using green crops 

 as food for cattle. It is true that there exists much val- 

 uable information floating among intelligent practical 

 men, but when the unprejudiced inquirer begins to col- 

 lect, with the view of fixing this floating knowledge, he 

 meets with opinions so contradictory, even from men of 

 equal intelligence and skill, that he must be well ac- 

 quainted with those causes which affect the results of 

 agricultural operations in different localities, before he 

 can hope to approach the truth, or to extract anything 

 like general principles from the testimony of practical 

 men alone. 



* From a foot note to Prof. Johnston's paper it appears that the original source 

 of information, in part, at least, was " Verhandlung des Baltischen Veieins fur 

 Forderung des Landwirthschaft. Greifswald, 1842, p. 38." An abstract of Prof. 

 Johnston's description of the sour hay process was published in Stephens' 

 " Book of the farm," 1844, Vol. 3, p. 978. In H. R. Stevens' book on " Ensilage," 

 1881, p. 20, Prof. J. M. M'Bryde, in a notice of the sour hay of Germany says, 

 "This process is fully described by Grieswald (1842); and a translation of the 

 passage is given in Stevens' (sic.) large work, 'The Farmer's Guide,' which 

 appeared in 1851," and "the extract in full" then follows. The extract here 

 given is a reprint of the abstract of Prof. Johnston's article as printed in 

 Stephens' Book of the Farm, above noticed, and Greifswald is a small town 

 near the Baltic, in the province of Pomcrania, where the " Transactions of the 

 Baltic Society for the promotion of Agriculture," the original authority, were 

 published. 



