THE GRASSES—SILOS AND ENSILAGE. 143 



■ nips ; (8) it is especially suitable for clay land where 

 turnips are grown with difficulty, and where the land 

 is frequently too wet for grazing ; (9) it is found to pro- 

 duce an increased flow of milk when fed to dairy cows, 

 and does not affect the taste of the milk or the butter ; 

 (10) it can be kept for a long time, and can be turned 

 out in good condition when stored turnips are rapidly 

 decaying or are used up; (11) when properly made it 

 is not liable to any accident, and reduces the feeding of 

 stock to a system of the utmost simplicity. 



After the exhaustive experiments that have been 

 made, there can now be no doubt that it will be more 

 economical for farmers to preserve their fodder in silos 

 than to attempt to make the grass into hay during a 

 wet season. Well made ensilage, as at present pro- 

 duced, is far superior to ill-secured hay, biit whether it 

 is as good as the best hay, as claimed by some, is a 

 matter not yet decided. 



A perfect silo must be air-tight, water-tight, and a 

 non-conductor of heat. It may be of any form pro- 

 vided the covering can closely follow the ensilage as it 

 sinks. There should be no drain or other outlet for 

 moisture at the bottom. The pressure can be produced 

 by the direct weight of a covering of sand or earth — or 

 by mechanical means, such as weighted levers, chains 

 and screws, or other methods now well known. The 

 weighting must be so placed as to sink along with the 

 ensilage, and so exercise a continuous pressure. It is 

 better to construct the silo partly under and partly 

 above ground, so that the labour of getting out the 

 ensilage may not be excessive, and that it may not 

 be too high above ground for convenient filling from 



