CHAPTER VIII. 
ENSILAGE AND TEMPORARY SILOS. 
e EFORE discussing silos or ensilage, or rather, the 
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particular experiment in connection with them 
which we have any faith in, we would say a word 
or two by way of preliminary, and to show why we 
have introduced the subject under our present heading. 
That an economic silo is an advantage to the grass-grower 
we affirm without hesitation, and we now proceed to give our 
reasons. 
It is a common fallacy to suppose that judicious mowing 
weakens pastures. We have gone fully into this under a 
preceding sub-heading, and we trust we shall be forgiven if we 
in any way repeat our remarks when we say that in closing 
layers for hay the bulk of the herbage is not mown until it is 
ripe ; now most grasses are not ripe for hay until they are in full 
blossom, and some not until they have even further developed. 
Taking it as a fact that grass which is allowed to remain 
untouched until it has blossomed is weakened (sometimes to 
death when the seedling is young), and that earlier grasses, 
such as foxtail, flower as early as April or May, and that others 
are not so far advanced before August, it follows that closing a 
layer for hay undoubtedly weakens the plants. It also follows 
that haysel, during June or July, is injurious to, and weakens a 
vast percentage of, the grasses; and when (for convenience 
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