THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



233 



Dairy in ff in Australia. 



THE HON. F. R. MOOR'S IMPRESSIONS. 

 {Continued.) 

 SILOS AND ENSILAGE. 



THE following is a farther instalment 

 of the pamphlet : — 



On this subject we have taken 

 numerous extracts from a pamphlet on 

 silos, by J. L. Thompson, late Principal 

 of Dookie College. 



The silo system cannot be said to be of 

 recent origin, for we read of tbe ancient 

 Romans preserving fruits, grains, and 

 forage is a green state in large subter- 

 ranean vaults. The Mexicans also have 

 practised the same process for centuries, 

 and still preserve a large bullc of their 

 fodder in this way. 



The attention of the English-speaking 

 world was first drawn to this subject Ijy 

 the translation by a Mr. Brown, an Am- 

 erican, of a work written by a Mr. Aug- 

 ustus Goffart, a distinguished member of 

 the Central Agricultural Society of 

 France. This work was published in New 

 York in 1879, when the subject was 

 quickly taken up by the American p?nplo, 

 who have since done so much to popula- 

 rise the system, and there are now in that 

 country thousands of silos. 



In 1882 a conference was held at New 

 York of several hundred farmers, who 

 met to compare their various experien- 

 ces, and the answers to some of the ques- 

 tions considered are very remarkable. 

 Regarding the profitableness of en- 

 silage : — • 



Farmer No. 6 said : "It will double tlie 

 stock-carrying capacity of our farm ; its 

 advantages to dairymen are incalcul- 

 able.". 



No. 7 said : "It gives a vigour and 

 healthy appearance not seen in hay-fed 

 cattle. We can double tliQ stock, and 

 thus increase the fertility and value of 

 farms." 



No. 8 : "It enables one with a little 

 land to keep a large amount of stock." 



No. 9 : "We believe stock can be kept 

 for one-half the cost of other food, and 

 will fatten as much as during the best 

 grass season." 



No. 10 : "Anything of vegetable nature 

 that animals will eat will make useful 

 ensilage." 



No. 11 : "40 or 50 tons of fodder can 

 be ensilaged ofE one acre, which is worth 

 more than 20 tons of hay." 



No. 19 : "The cost of feeding on en- 

 silage as against hay and roots is one to 

 three." 



No. 20 : "I think cattle can be kept 

 for one-fourth the expense of any other 

 method." 



No. 28 : "One acre of ensilage will 

 keep eight head of cattle 100 days." 



No. 30 : "I am keeping four times the 

 number of stock with my silos that I have 

 been able to do hitherto. A silo filled 

 with green fodder in time of protracted 

 drougth is invaluable." 



No. 37 : "The profits are very large. I 

 consider my two silos worth £2,000, and 

 would rather pay interest on that amount 

 than give them up." 



No. 38 : "Ensilage I believe to be the 

 dairyman's anchor on the expensive land 

 of the East. I would as soon think of 

 doing without my house as without a silo. 

 I farm for profits, not for pleasure, and 

 have found the silo the best investment 

 I ever made." 



It is needless to multiply these ex- 

 tracts. They are from practical men, 

 whose opinions can be relied upon, and 

 if ensilage is so valuable in America it 

 must be doubly so in these Colonies, sub- 

 ject as they are to long periods of 

 drought. It is really astounding that so 

 little has been done to popularize the 

 silos in Victoria. Some years ago the 

 subject was taken up by the Royal Com- 



