FEEDING QUALITIES OF THE BEET. 309 



This preservation takes place in silos ; these are not 

 very varied in form, being most generally ditches dug 

 in a soil as dry as possible, afnd having for this reason, in 

 the greater number of cases, but little interest for the 

 reader. The most important that we have seen are at 

 the " Ferme de la Briche" fig. 89. The dimensions 

 are 95.00 m. (311 feet) in length and 3.50 m. (11.48 

 feet) in depth, and only 6.00 m. (19.68 feet) in breadth, 

 giving a total capacity for the two of nearly 4000 

 cubic metres. The pulp when taken from the mash 

 tubs is placed in cars, in which are united the chopped 

 straw, hay, etc. ; this is then brought between the 

 silos at C and here emptied ; a second fermentation 

 would follow before these were full, in consequence of 

 their enormous volume. I^Tow here is a point to which 

 we wish to call attention, and where, we consider, great 

 ingenuity has been displayed. The idea consists in 

 having a movable partition P, the section of which is 

 6.00 m. X 3.50 m. (or 19.68 feet x 11.48 feet) exactly 

 the ssws as the silos), mounted on wheels, and is 

 placed within a few metres of the end wall ; between 

 this space the mixture is thrown and packed as tightly 

 as possible, in order that the fermentation may be reg- 

 ular, and, when nearly full, a layer of earth of 30 

 cm. (0.98 foot) is placed on the top. This partition is 

 then moved backwards several metres, and the same 

 operations are again repeated, until full. Here the 

 pulp can be kept the greater part of the year. 



Mr. Leduc, after a series of experiments concerning 



