56 CONTINUOUS CKOPPING 



centre than on the outside. In a few days' time it will 

 have sunk nearly level ; then a layer of rubbish is placed 

 on top and a trench dug all around the base of the stack. 



If this stack is built on a piece of grass land the sods 

 are cut all around the verge of the stack, and placed 

 grass side down to act as a coping. The rest of the soil 

 from the trench is placed on the top of the stack to the 

 depth of about 9 inches or 12 inches. As the stack 

 settles down, cracks will appear in this layer of soil ; 

 These are closed up with a hand rake, the back of a 

 spade being used to smooth off. 



Once the stack is finished, it does not seem to matter, 

 as far as my experience goes, to what temperature the 

 stack rises. The highest stack temperature recorded 

 by the writer is 175 deg. F. This temperature occurred 

 in a small stack which was purposely allowed to attain 

 this heat, no attempt whatever being made to lower the 

 temperature. The stuff turned out beautifully. Any- 

 way, if a man does not care to take the risk, the 

 temperature is easily reduced by pouring one or two 

 barrels of brine down the centre of the stack. 



The chief advantage of letting the material for 

 ensilage become partially dried is that the labour of 

 carting and stacking is considerably reduced. With 

 such a method, also, very little loss results at the outer 

 edge, especially if, as should be done, the sides are well 

 raked and handplucked whilst building, or the outer 

 verge for a height of 2 or 3 yards trimmed off 

 with a sharp hay-knife. As compared with other 

 methods, little or no moisture exudes from the stack, 

 either whilst building or after. 



AN ECONOMICAL COVERING 



There is a considerable amount of labour expended 

 in covering the stack with soil, but economy in this 

 direction is not difficult to effect. In the first place, as 



