290 The Silo and Silage-stack Competition, 1885-86. 
are milked daily ; tlie average amount of milk per cow throughout the 
year is about 6 quarts daily. The milk is sold wholesale in Warwick and 
Leamington, and some also goes to London, the average price throughout 
the year being lie?, per gallon of 4 quarts. Mr. Trepplin delivers it. No 
complaint has been made that the milk or batter tastes of silage, nor should 
it ever do so if proper care is taken that the men wash their hands after 
handling it ; and in all cases the milk, after being drawn from the cow, should 
not be allowed to stand in the shed. The produce of the cows at the high 
price realised seems excessive, but the contiguity of the premises to the towns 
of Leamington and Warwick is a reason why it is so high. Mr. Trepplin is a 
very energetic and persevering man ; and Lord Clarendon, his landlord, may well 
be proud of such a tenant. We think these silos are worthy of special notice. 
Mr. Darhishire's Silo, Pen-y-groes, near Carnarvon. — This competitor 
describes his entry as a new building divided into two silos, of 12 feet by 
14 feet, 12 feet deep, and 11 feet to the eaves. It is above ground, and is 
built of stone and roofed with slate, having a travelling-crane to lift 6 cwt., 
running under the ridge. Two openings are left in the gables at each end for 
loading. The silage is weighted with a layer of x^lanks, on which blocks of 
slate are piled. No excavation was required. The walls were built of blocks 
of stone, set in lime mortar, and are 20 inches thick. 
£ s. d. 
The cost of lime and carting was 37 19 0 
It was lined with cement 511 6 
Concrete of lime 212 G 
No drains were put in, but two small taps 
were inserted 0 10 0 
Slate and timber roof cost 37 10 0 
Deals and slate blocks for weighting ,, .. 8 15 0 
92 18 0 
Travelling-crane, &c 3 14 G 
£96 12 6 
The whole was most substantially and well built. The weighting was up- 
wards of 140 lbs. to the square foot. The silo was commenced filling on June 
22nd, and ended on August 6th. It was begun by putting in half-an-acre of 
chaffed green oats, then two acres of meadow grass, and, after several days' 
rest, 2 acres of lucerne, and then finished with a good crop of meadow grass 
— in all about 12 acres. On our opening it the silage was found '> to be 
excellent, and of uniform quality. It was warm, and rather approaching to 
sourness, and was very pungent. The cattle were fond of it, and as soon as 
the silo was opened several came across the fields to regale themselves at 
once. Mr. Darbishire has a covered yard for cattle, and all arc fed with silage. 
He is convinced that ho keeps 50 per cent, more cattle on the same acreage 
with silage as ho did when fed on haJ^ The cost of filling the silos was, in 
our opinion, excessive, as it came to nearly 21. 3s. per acre; but the charge 
for horse labour we considered was put at too high a figure, viz., 8s. per horse 
per day, but it was explained that that sum was always charged at tlie adjoin- 
ing slate quarries, and Mr. Darbisliiro thought it was fair to charge the same 
for agricultural work. The fault of those silos was that there were no door- 
ways, or means of emptying thorn from the bottom, in addition to the great 
labour of removing the heavy slabs of slate and planking when either filling 
or cmptyiiiir, and also the groat expense of construction. 
Mr. EarJcs Silos, at liohy, near Liverpool. — This entry was for a wooden 
silo erected within a large barn. Length 14 feet, width 11 feet, height 
