384 CEREALS. 



putrifaction would not set in. In this condition it was as 

 good for food as when first compressed. This beet pulp 

 partakes of the same nature of the still slops of our distil- 

 lery, only not so rich in nitrogenous qualities. An enter- 

 prising farmer conceived the idea that green fodder could 

 be saved in the same manner, and after various experi- 

 ments, conducted through several years, he evolved the 

 plan called "eusilage." This practice has now become an 

 established plan, not only in France, but in nearly all Eu- 

 ropean countries, and has received a long notice and recom- 

 mendation from the Commissioner of Agriculture in Wash- 

 ington. We will give the details so that any man can test 

 it to his own satisfaction, and we know no reason why our 

 horses and cows should not be regaled with green food 

 through winter, as well as man with preserved vegetables 

 and fruits, and the principle is the same. 



Eusilage embraces principally corn fodder, but is not con- 

 fined to it, as it has been applied to hay, peas, oats rye, bar- 

 ley and clover. But here is the plan : 



A pit is dug from five to seven and a half feet deep, th e 

 length of corn fodder say six feet wide and twelve feet long 

 at the top, but only ten feet long at the bottom. The fod- 

 der is allowed to lay on the ground after cutting until it- 

 wilts, and is then packed evenly and closely in the pit until 

 the pile rises as high above as the pit is deep. During the 

 packing, it must be trodden as firmly down as possible. All 

 the earth that comes from the pit is then thrown on the 

 heap, it having previously been covered with straw. The 

 sides and ends must be sloped so as to carry oft all rains 

 and there must be at least three feet of earth on top. This 

 is necessary for the benefit of the pressure, as it will not 

 keep well unless well packed. In the course of a few days 

 the pile will have shrunk to half its original bulk, and it 

 will, in settling, dislocate the surface forming fissures in the 

 soil. This must be noticed closely and the cracks stopped 

 at once, and packed over, as if air gets to the mass, the fer- 



