1921.] 



Pit, Trench and other Silos. 



1049 



In 1920, Mr. Makens filled the* trenches with a mixture of 

 oats and tares and rye and tares. When these crops were 

 examined it was found that the tares had almost smothered 

 out the oats, and that the whole crop was lying fiat on the 

 ground, causing some trouble in cutting it. On the other 

 hand the rye and tares mixture stood up fairly well, the 

 whole crop being about 3 ft. 6 in. high. The mixture which 

 proved the more successful was half a bushel of rye and two 

 bushels of winter tares per acre. 



There can be no doubt that rye sometimes gets old and 

 woody when sown mixed with tares, but this difficulty can 

 be obviated by cutting the crop in good time — say the third 

 week in June. Early cutting has also the advantage that the 

 land is cleared earlier, and more time is allowed for a bastard 

 fallow, or for ploughing for turnips. There appears every 

 reason to suppose also that as tares become more mature, 

 the proportion of indigestible fibre present in them increases. 

 This is a point, however, which requiries investigation. 

 Captain W. A. Doran, formerly of Harristown House, Ardee, 

 states that he made silage of a crop of beans during the 

 summer of 1919, and fed it to the stock in winter with excellent 

 results. This silage was made in a trench, according to 

 Mr. Makens' method and proved most palatable to the cows. 

 There was, however, a certain amount of waste on the sides 

 and top. Inquiry from another farmer who made silage in 

 fchis way confirms the writer's opinion that the amount of 

 waste depends to a considerable extent on the care with which 

 the heap is roofed up. Unless a good steep roof is made, rain 

 gains access at the top, and rotting ensues. Everyone with a 

 knowledge of farming knows the way in which a hay stack 

 roof will sink, and the roof of a heap of silage sinks much more, 

 it also seems likely that a rough thatch arranged outside the 

 earth roof to keep out some of the winter's rain would be an 

 advantage and would result in less rotting on the top. 



The writer is indebted to the Ministry of Agriculture for 

 calling his attention to a letter from Mr. N. A. Gatenby, of 

 Jemolong, Blackheath, New South Wales, in the issue of 

 the Pastoral Review for April last. Mr. Gatenby writes : — 



" When I first made silage in 1890, I knew only of stacks, 

 and made one with great care — it turned out a hopeless 

 failure .... The next year I made another, with much 



the same result The making in pits is simplicity 



itself; nothing can be simpler or easier. It is almost impossible 



