FILLING SILOS WITH BEET COSSETTES. 159 



portance, and that the transformations that occur in the mass 

 being kept depend mainly upon the degree of dryness of the 

 products upon leaving presses. 



On the upper level of the silos it has frequently been found 

 that certain economical advantages may be derived by the in- 

 troduction of small cars, of the Decauville type for example, 

 traveling over the silos on narrow gauge tracks. This arrange- 

 ment allows one to carry the residuum cossettes rapidly and 

 under very economical conditions from the factory to the ditch 

 or silo in which they are to be kept for a period of months. 



Silos should be filled during cold weather and the filling of Filling silos with 

 each silo should not last more than three days. In our climate beet cossettes. 

 the beet-sugar campaign frequently commences before frost sets 

 in, so that the filling would take place at the wrong period; it 

 would be better at first to feed direct to cattle. Farmers should 

 not forget that filling during warm weather means very inferior 

 fodder later in the season. Care to have the mass of pulp per- 

 fectly uniform, so as to prevent air being imprisoned, is very 

 essential, as its influence is very destructive. It may be com- 

 pressed as much as possible with the back of the spade or other 

 flat instrument used in filling. Tramping upon the residuum 

 by walking a horse or cow over the product during filling is a 

 very common custom, and covering the bottom of the silo with 

 several inches of chopped straw is a good practice the advant- 

 ages of which are numerous. Alternate layers of pulp and straw 

 are to be recommended only in certain cases. The writer is 

 rather in favor of alternate layers of salt and residuum. One 

 man's labor for filling and emptying a silo of 5 ton capacity is 

 sufficient. 



Silos are generally open on top. Experience has shown, 

 however, that advantages are to be derived from resorting to a 

 covering of at least two feet of earth, in order to prevent the 

 action of air and putrefaction. When crevices open, due to 

 the settling of the mass, they should be closed as soon as pos- 

 sible. 



The cossettes are placed in silos so that the top (we refer to 

 the portion above ground) shall form slanting angles of about 

 two feet, which will materially contribute towards pressing the 



