7 6 2 MAIZE 



CHAP, an elaborate and expensive structure, which ma)' cost hundreds 

 xv ' of pounds (Figs. 241-3); but good silage can be made in a 

 very simple manner and at small cost. Three methods of 

 preparation are in vogue: stacking, burying in a pit, and pre- 

 serving in an air-tight chamber. The principle is the same 

 in all cases, i.e. development of a limited degree of fermenta- 

 tion followed by the exclusion of air to prevent desiccation 

 and to arrest decomposition. These ends are attained by 

 building up a mass of moist vegetation, which then begins to 

 sweat; if this sweating were allowed to continue indefinitely 

 "spontaneous combustion" would ensue, and the mass would 

 be spoiled. The most suitable temperature is from 130° to 

 1 40° F. To allow the whole mass to reach this temperature 

 it must not be too deep at any one time; to prevent increase 

 of temperature above this point, fresh material is added, the 

 added weight tending to compress the lower mass, force out 

 the air, exclude a fresh supply of oxygen, and thus check 

 fermentation. In practice it is not necessary to use a ther- 

 mometer to determine the actual temperature ; if the surface 

 heat becomes so great that one can only with difficulty bear to 

 keep the hand in it, more fodder should be added or the pit, 

 if filled, should be sealed up ; but if it does not get warm, it 

 should be kept open a few days, and a little water may be 

 poured on it to assist in starting fermentation. 



739. The Addition of Salt, — Silage is greatly improved by 

 the addition of salt ; Prof. Wrightson recommends the use of 

 \\ lbs. to every ton of the green material. Salt has a stimu- 

 lating influence on the appetite of the animal, facilitates the 

 passage of the albuminoids from the digestive canal into 

 the blood, and in general increases the energy of the vital 

 processes. The feeding of salt is therefore especially useful 

 with horses, young animals, and milch cows fed to their full 

 capacity. Another effect of salt is to increase the excretion 

 of urine {Henry, I J. 



740. The Modern Silo. — " The more compact the silage, 

 the better it keeps. The greater its diameter and the more 

 nearly circular the silo, the less the resistance of the sides to 

 packing. The deeper the silo, the more compact the silage 

 and the less the surface exposure in proportion to the whole 

 mass. . . . The surface area of the silo should be such that 



