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AGRICULTURAL AND MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



Experiments in the Growth of Maize for Fodder. 



For at least thirty years past maize has been grown for fodder 

 to a limited extent in a few districts of England, and yet its 

 cultivation has spread so slowly that it is quite rare to meet 

 with it. Several farmers, however, never fail to put in a con- 

 siderable break annually, and always speak well of it. In 

 Canada and the United States fodder maize is chiefly made 

 into silage, and for the most part in what are known as " stave " 

 silos. Not only are such silos well adapted for the purpose in 

 view, but they are also cheap, and, being of wood throughout, 

 may be regarded as a tenant's fixture. 



With the object of gaining further information as to the pros- 

 pects of an extension of this crop in England, and also of testing 

 a few of the chief varieties of seed, the Board of Agriculture 

 made arrangements last year to carry out experiments in grow- 

 ing this fodder in the warmer districts of England and Wales, 

 under the supervision of the Agricultural Colleges. 



The Board undertook to supply a sufficient quantity of seed 

 for tests to be conducted at four centres in counties associated 

 with the University College of W T ales, Aberystwyth ; the Uni- 

 versity College, Reading ; the Midland Agricultural and Dairy 

 Institute ; Cambridge University ; and the South Eastern Agri- 

 cultural College, Wye. At Wye a stave silo was erected in 

 order that this means of conserving maize might be tested. To 

 fill the silo, and thus test it properly, enough seed was provided 

 to sow a larger area on the College farm there than at the other 

 centres. The results of the storage of maize forage in this form 

 of silo will be available later. 



Ultimately, the seed was sown at eighteen stations, viz., two 

 centres in Cardigan and one in Montgomery,, in connection with 

 Aberystwyth ; one in Hampshire, one in Dorset, and one in 

 Oxford, in connection with Reading ; one in Nottingham in 



