846 THE COMPLETE GKAZIEB. BOOK ix. 



being put into the silo, and this must always be taken into considera- 

 tion when lixing the value. The high temperature necessary for the 

 production of sweet silage is sufficient to destroy the living organisms 

 which, at a lower temperature, produce an acid fermentation. It may 

 be explained that the sweet silage made from fresh grass has a vinous 

 smell, and is called the fruit} 7 type of sweet silage, whilst that made 

 from withered grass is called aromatic, also on account of its odour. 



The advantages r.nd disadvaniages pertaining respectively to sweet 

 and sour silage are briefly as follows. Sour silage contains the largest 

 amount of feeding matter because the carbo-hydrates have not been so 

 much destroyed or consumed during fermentation. The rise in 

 temperature of the sweet silage is due to the oxidation, and therefore 

 to the waste, of carbonaceous matter. Sour silage possesses a strong 

 odour which is generally considered unpleasant, and which certainly 

 has a prejudicial effect, on the flavour of milk brought within its 

 influence. Sweet silage possesses no unpleasant odours, and can be 

 safely introduced among dairy cattle. 



Ensilage can be practised in all weathers, and it is regarded as a 

 desirable means of preserving a portion of the green crop, and not 

 merely as a method of saving that which would be wasted if treated in 

 any other manner. The doubt which once arose as to the safety 

 of feeding animals with it no longer exists. It is now recognised to be 

 specially valuable as a food for dairy cows, as it stimulates the flow of 

 the milk. As there is some danger of the milk becoming tainted with 

 the odour of the silage, none of this product should be allowed to lie 

 about the cowsheds, and only so much should be given to the cows as 

 they will promptly and entirely eat up ; the feedings should be given 

 as soon after milking as possible. Silage is one of the safest foods for 

 sheep, and is extremely valuable for in-lamb and freshly-lambed ewes. 

 Summers of plenty are not always followed by winters of abundant 

 growth, and in those seasons when roots are destroyed by frost nothing 

 proves of greater service to the flock- master than a good store of 

 silage to fall back upon. In all probabilit}' silage will be much more 

 extensively used by flock-masters in the iuture than has hitherto been 

 the case. 



Almost any green herbage may be converted into useful silage. 

 Unless, however, the material possesses a considerable amount of 

 feeding matter it is impossible that the silage should be of great value. 

 The greater portion of the feeding properties may be retained, but they 

 are not augmented b}' the process of ensilage. 



The making of silage in a silo is much more simple than the making 

 of hay. There is, indeed, but little to learn, as it can be made regard- 

 less of weather, and practically all there is to do is to get the material 

 into the silo and weight it. A few precautions are necessary, such, for 

 instance, as shaking out the material evenly, not letting it lie in 

 large locks, and being careful to keep the sides well packed, so that 

 there is as little space as possible between the walls and the material. 

 The middle of the mass will cure itself, and requires but scant attention, 

 almost the whole of the care having to be bestowed upon the outsides, 



