186 HOW TO MAKE SILAGE. 



or color, to all appearances like ordinary air, it cannot be directly 

 observed, but may be readily detected by means of a lighted lan- 

 tern or candle. If the light goes out when lowered Into the silo 

 there is an accumulation of carbonic acid in it, and a person 

 should open feed doors and fan the air in the silo before going 

 down into it. , 



After the silage is made and the temperature in the silo has 

 gone down considerably, there is no further evolution of car- 

 bonic acid, and therefore no danger in entering the silo even if 

 this has been shut' up tight. The maximum evolution of carbonic 

 acid, and consequently the danger of carbonic acid poisoning 

 comes during or directly after the filling of the silo. 



Covering the Siloed Fodder. 



Many devices for covering the siloed fodder have been recom- 

 mended and tried, with varying success. The original method 

 was to put the boards on top of the fodder, and to weight them 

 heavily by means of a foot layer of dirt or sand, or with stone. 

 The weighting having later on been done away with, lighter ma- 

 terial, as straw, hay, sawdust, etc., was substituted for the stone 

 or sand. Building paper was often placed over the fodder, and 

 boards on top of the paper. There is no special advantage de- 

 rived from the use of building paper, and it is now never used. 

 Many farmers run some corn stalks, or green husked fodder, 

 through the cutter after the fodder is all in. In the South, cotton- 

 seed hulls are easily obtained, and form a cheap and most efficient 

 cover. Straw may be run through the cutter and spread over the 

 surface of the silage and when thoroughly wet and well tramped 

 will make a good seal. After the top of the silage has been 

 thoroughly wet down and well tramped a layer of oats on this will 

 sprout rapidly because of the heat underneath, and will form a 

 layer over the surface of the silage. A thin layer of salt sprinkled 

 over the top of the silage after it is wet down and well tramped 

 will cut down the amount of spoiled silage.. Another method used 

 is to cover the top of the silage with tar paper. 



None of these materials or any other recommended for the 

 purpose can perfectly preserve the uppermost layer of silage, 

 some four to six Inches of the top layer being usually spoilt. 

 Occasionally this spoilt silage may not be so bad but that cattie 

 or hogs will eat it up nearly clean, but it is at best very poor 



