266 The Silo and Silage-stack Competition^ 1885-86. 
after it had been closed for a period of 147 daj-s. The quality of the silage 
was very good, and there was very little waste. 
(6) Mr. William Fering Paige, l\orton Ball, Ongar. — This silo is an adap- 
tation of a straw bam, the only expenditure having been 10s. for the erection 
of a door in one of the gable ends, the old door at the side being boarded 
up. The dimensions are 35 feet by 24: feet by 17 feet. The whole silo is above 
the ground level, the fodder being pressed by the weight of old tram-car wheels. 
Mr. Paige's silo was opened on the 19th of November, when the bulk of the 
fodder was of good quality. The silage, through some cause, had subsided 
very irregularly, and there was much waste, especially opposite the old door 
that had been boarded up. 
(7) Mr. Arthur Henry Grant, Ahhotswood, Eomsey, Hants. — Mr. Eraser, 
the Manager of the Society's Experimental Farm at Crawley, near Woburn, 
at the request of the Council, witnessed the opening of this silo. His report 
is as follows : — 
" This silo is entirely underground, and measures 16 feet by 14 feet 3 inches 
by 12 feet deep; it is covered by a rough shed, roofed with Willesden paper, 
which is used for storing straw and roots, &c., imder. The walls are built of 
bricks, 9 in. work for 3 feet from the bottom, then 4i to the top. The bottom 
is also of bricks, but they are laid on edges and slightly dished, and the whole 
is thinly coated over with cement. The silo is provided with a hole at the 
bottom to collect the drainage, but there is no outlet whatever. Estimating 
the weight of silage at 56 lbs. per cubic foot, it is capable of containing rather 
over 68 tons. Both gravel and sand were excavated when making the silo, and 
from a portion of the former Mr. Grant made some concrete blocks for weights. 
The blocks are rectangular, and during filling, when the silo is full, by placing 
these blocks on the walls to a height of 4 feet or more, Mr. Grant is enabled 
to fill the pit to that depth, which allows greatly for shrinkage. 
" The total cost of the silo was 26?. 3s. &d., and of the shed lOZ. 8s. ^d., but 
the latter is also used as a Dutch barn. The cost of filling and weighting the 
silo was il. 5s. 5d. 
"The silo was filled on June 13th with rye-grass and meadow-grass, the 
carts being backed up to the edge and tipped up. Special care was taken to 
tread the grass well round the sides and in the comers, there being always two 
or three men in the silo for this purpose. It was weighted the same day with 
concrete blocks resting on boards. On Monday, the 15th inst., the grass 
having sunk considerably, the silo was opened and refilled, the last four loads 
being rough grass from an orchard, and on the top of this a few forksful of 
straw were thrown about. The boards, consisting chiefly of rough slabs, were 
then placed on, and the whole again weighted with the concrete blocks. More 
weight was applied to the sides than the centre. * 
" The silo was opened in m}' presence at about one o'clock on Thursday, 
October 15th, On the weights, &c., being removed, I found that the first 
4 inches below the surface were black and sodden in appearance, and for 
35 inches below this the silage was mouldy, after which it was quite good. It 
was of a light colour, and had a strong acid smell, but was decidedly a good 
sample of sour silage. At a depth of 2 feet from the surface, about 3 feet 
from the side wall, tlie silage was perfectly free from mould, and would doubt- 
less be so down to the bottom of the silo. Six inches from the side wall 
there were 3 inches of black sodden stuff on the surface, and 2 inches below 
this was mouldy, after which the silage was quite free from mould. At a 
depth of 8 inches fioia the surface, the mould i)enetrated 4 inches inwaids 
from the side wall, whereas 2 inches below this there were but 2 inches of 
mould ; and as we cut deeper into the silage, the mould gradually decreased 
until at 2 feet from the surface it was quite good close up to the wall. 
" On removing the silage from the corner, I found that at a depth of 9 inches 
