136 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



M. Goffart, after more than thirty years' experience, — 

 which means constant experiment, — with silos and ensilage, 

 and always with a keen business eye to the useful and 

 economical results, relies chiefly upon the Indian corn plant. 

 He claims to secure nearly forty tons per acre, in drills, 

 with flat culture, and his plan is to let the plant mature well, 

 cut in one-inch lengths, fill the silo quickly, evenly and 

 thoroughly pack the contents, cover at once and weight with 

 two hundred pounds or more to the square foot. He says 

 one cannot press too hard or too tight. He mixes a little 

 dry straw or coarse hay, finely cut, with the corn ensilage. 



My own experience and studies lead to the conclusion 

 that, so fiir as sour and sweet ensilage is concerned, the rela- 

 tive maturity of the plant and consequent dryness of the 

 material is the governino; factor. The more mature the 

 plant, if still in a succulent condition, the freer the ensilage 

 will be from sharp acidity. 



IV. — Covering and Weighting. 



Covers and pressure on top of the ensilage, after the silo 

 has been filled, are not essential, but are usually economical. 

 If desired, the upper part of the material can be left to de- 

 compose, settle and itself form cover and weight for what is 

 below ; it is simply a question whether about two feet in 

 depth of the fodder, which will be lost in such case, is worth 

 more or less than some further labor and provision to be 

 used instead. For covering, boards or plank, single or 

 double, may be laid directly upon the ensilage, or, to better 

 exclude the air, a well lapped cover of tarred building paper 

 may be laid under the boards. Or tarred paper or canvas 

 may be used, with sand or earth above, for weight. In any 

 case, the cover must be so arranged or fitted as not to touch 

 the side-walls of the pit, that it may move freely with the 

 ensilage, as it settles. There is usually more or less mate- 

 rial lost by decay just under the cover. Rather less perhaps 

 with tarred paper than with boards only. Elder Evans has 

 stated that if hemlock boards are used, the ensilage next to 

 them will not spoil. 



There is undoubted advantage in pressure, by weights or 

 otherwise, in keeping a nearly air-tight cover and reducing 



