FARMING AND FOXHUNTING 



have never failed to fill a silo for the last twenty- 

 years, but during that time and particularly in a 

 nice dry summer, I have often wondered whether my 

 labour costs were ever returned in value of winter 

 produce, but here again it becomes a regular part 

 of the system. Why ? Because you make full time 

 with labour. For several weeks, from the middle of 

 June until the middle of July, it often fits in to fill the 

 silo during the morning and then make hay during 

 the afternoon. 



Of late years we have made an effort to grow a 

 crop usually made up of a mixture of oats, beans and 

 vetches, plus one or two cwt. sulphate of ammonia, 

 but how difficult it is to provide a crop of equal 

 proportions to your sowing efforts, one which can be 

 comfortably dealt with by a binder. Weather 

 conditions would seem to affect the growth of each 

 product in a different way and you will often find 

 one will outgrow the other. When ideal conditions 

 do exist the job is easy compared to dealing with 

 your crops by mowing machine. Another point, 

 putting the sheaves through the silo cutter is a much 

 easier job than feeding loose material. 



There is one good feature about ensilage making, 

 one never needs to be conscious of any break in 

 your summer operations of putting away winter 

 produce. Of late years we have somewhat reduced 

 our effort in making silage, that is we do not follow 

 the system to such an extent that we let other 

 operations get too much in arrears. One has to 

 consider the call from other branches of production. 



Silage, I find, is of a fairly strong nature from a 



90 



