35 



experimental. From the beginning it must take the form of inquiry, 

 which at the present moment was not the case. There was now no real 

 investigation; pupils were not brought in direct contact with facts, or 

 encouraged to think for themselves. In short, the present system of 

 teaching botany was bad, and it wns a lamentable thing that the young 

 persons who were growing up to live by the farm or the garden were 

 growing up ignorant of scientific method, and practically ignorant 

 whatever verbal knowledge they had picked up,of those natural processes 

 which rendered possible the raising of crops and the rearing of stock. In 

 dealing with the place the teaching of botany should take in the school 

 course he expressed regret t'aat under the present system so many sub- 

 jects were crowded into it that nothing could be well taught. 



ENSILAGE WITHOUT PRESSURE. 

 By Dr. Ross, Kenmore, N. S. Wales. * 



The subject of ensilage has received such adequate treatment at the 

 hands of various writers in the columns of the Agricultural Gazette, that 

 it is not proposed in this short article to give more than ttie experience 

 of the past four years in ensilage-making at the Hospital for the Insane, 

 at Kenmore, near Goulburn. 



The material each year has been maize, and maize only, of no 

 special variety, cut when the cobs were in the milky stage, and the 

 tassels full, though not faded. The seed has been variously planted — 

 broad-cast and drilled — and we believe in the latter, using about 1-12 

 bushel to the acre. The soil throughout is decidedly poor, and un-aided 

 would now, after four years use, probably yield next to nothing. To 

 make amends for lack of quality, deep ploughing and intense cuUiv^atioti 

 generally have beec the rule, with the result that during the period 

 mentioned — an exceptionally droughty one — there have been returns 

 far exceeding those gained by others who took less pains. 



The methods employed for storing the maize has invariably been 

 the stack — which is equally good for large or small quantities — making 

 respectively in the years 1897, 1898 and 1899, 5, oOO, and 150 tons 

 with a prospect this year of at least 400 tons. 



The stack has for a platform at its base posts and rails, unservice- 

 able for their ordinary use, simply placed on the ground, which is raisci 

 a few inches to prevent surface water from doing damage either directly 

 or by upward soak age. A shallow ditch surrounds the platform to en- 

 sure the above. 



The maize is cut either with sharpened spades or with short scythes. 

 The former is. perhaps, the better tool, as it allows of the stalks being 

 cut quilc oiu»e io the ground, but both these methods are about to be 

 superseded by using a maize reaper and binder. The cut stalks are 

 carted as speedily as possible to the stack, which should be in some cen- 

 tral position, and some pretence is made of placing the cut ends of the 



* Agricultural Gazette, N. S. Wales. 



