EXPERIENCE AT ECHO DALE FARM. 33 



business to me. With care, my horse went into tread-power without 

 any trouble. After one hour's work, you would think he was an old 

 hand at it. Every thing worked finely. 



As I did not wish to use a steam-engine, on account of sparks of 

 fire from the boiler (for one, I am afraid of fire, around my barn, 

 especially in very dry weather) , I kept one man in the silo, treading 

 and distributing the cut fodder ; a part of the time two men, one 

 man to feed the cutter, one to cut up the fodder, one man to haul 

 the fodder from the field, the one cutting to help load. I used a 

 clump-cart with quite high side-boards. By using the last, it could 

 be tipped up by the side of the cutter, and save once handling. By 

 so doing, all were kept at work. I mention this : perhaps some might 

 think not important ; but I think it is, as many farmers of limited 

 means, or farmers who do not want or cannot have an engineer to 

 run an engine, will use the horse-power. The horse-power can be 

 put to many uses on a farm : you can saw wood enough in one day 

 for your house to last all winter, for it gladdens the farmer's wife to 

 see a large pile of wood drying nicely for winter use. 



We continued cutting from four, to five hours per day for four 

 days. As visitors were coming every day, I was in no hurry. We 

 were filling the silo from two to three feet each day. I found every 

 morning, after the day's work, the cut corn- fodder would be quite 

 warm to the depth of one to two inches. Just before I commenced 

 to fill in the morning, I sprinkled four or five pails of water evenly 

 over the cut fodder : it cooled it, and arrested fermentation. When 

 the silo was filled, I spread evenly over the top oat-straw to the depth 

 of six to eight inches. I then placed two-inch plank crosswise of 

 the silo, leaving about half an inch play on each end of the plank, 

 to be free while settling with the corn-fodder. I placed on the top 

 of the plank good-sized stones, about one foot deep. 



I found by trials, we could cut, with one-horse power, twenty-five 

 tons per day. Where there are large silos to be filled, say two hun- 

 hundred tons or more, steam-power with heavy cutter will do double 

 the work ; or a two-horse tread-power, with suitable cutter, will cut 

 forty to fifty tons per day. I think the fodder, when it is in bloom 

 or fully tasselled, is in the best condition to cut for ensilage. 



I cut my corn-fodder in one-half inch pieces : some cut three- 

 eiq-litlis to four-tenths of an inch. The shorter it is cut, there is no 

 doubt of its packing closer ; the shorter the cut, the slower the work 

 in cutting. The process of filling a silo is very simple and easily 



