SILOS, ENSILAGE AND SILAGE. 25 



when .salted and preserved in the manner above 

 described." * 



In connection with this paper by Prof. Johnston, 

 and from its relations to the general system of ensilage 

 and the economy of cattle foods, the experience of Mr. 

 Samuel Jonas, of Saffron Walden, England, in the pres- 

 ervation and feeding of fermented straw chaff, reported 

 to the Secretary of the Eoyal Agricultural Society in 

 1869, and published in 1870, f is of particular interest. 

 He says, " Myself and sons have carried out this system 

 of storing old chaff to such an extent that we are using 

 on our occupation (which consists of 4,200 acres of 

 arable land), seven barns which were previously used 

 for storing corn." 



He uses a 12-horse power engine, which threshes, 

 cleans and sacks the grain, ready for market, and cuts 

 the straw into chaff. The chaff is carefully packed in 

 the barns, and mixed with tares, or rye, cut green and 

 chaffed, in the proportions of about one cwt. of green 

 chaff to one ton of straw chaff, and one bu. of salt. 

 This is done in the spring or summer, and the chaff is 

 not used until October and the winter months. In con- 

 clusion, Mr. Jonas says, " I am not stating that straw 

 chaff can be rendered as valuable as hay chaff for feed- 

 ing purposes, but that it may, by judicious management, 

 be made a very important auxiliary to the production of 

 meat food for our fast increasing population. I agree 

 with Prof. Voelcker, that the straw used for chaff should 

 be wheat and oat, for these may be cut without loss in a 

 far greener state than is generally done." 



Dr. Augustus Voelcker made an analysis of this fer- 

 mented straw chaff, and compares the same with "a 



* Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, July/ 

 1843,-March, 1845, pp. 57-61. 



t Jour. Roy. Agr'l Society, 1870, p. 119. 



