302 The Silo and Silage-stack Competition, 1885-86. 
air-tight silo, obtained by the edge of the roof or lid being 
made to descend into a trough containing a little water. Mr. 
Howard says : — "The result is the uniform production of sweet 
silage, i.e. a silage with the least degree of change from the 
condition of the green crop. Experience with the Howard silo, 
on the large as well as the small scale, has proved this result to 
be constant. The material does not practically alter in con- 
dition after the oxygen originally stored with it has been ex- 
hausted by fermentation." It is true that Mr. Howard's clover 
silage was excellent in all respects : but the Judges were of 
opinion that it would be easy for any system to produce good 
silage from a crop only amounting to 2 tons to the acre in the 
green state, and containing only a minimum quantity of moisture. 
But the maize silage contained '42 per cent, of acetic acid and '52 
per cent, of lactic acid. So far, therefore, as the maize crop is 
concerned, Mr. Howard's system fails to secure " sweet silage 
with the least degree of change from the condition of the green 
crop." During the first inspection the upper layer of silage 
was found to be saturated with moisture, owing to the conden- 
sation of vapour in contact with the inside surface of the iron 
roof. A long pipe-like fungoid growth was also observed in one 
of the angles. The amount of water in the maize was over 
84 per cent., even after the roof had on several occasions been 
lifted to get the silage out, and so exposed to the drying influence 
of the atmosphere. If we compare the maize silage of Mr. 
Howard with that of Mr. Brassey, it would appear that free 
exit for vapours generated during the fermentation of the fodder 
is favourable to the formation of lactic acid. Although Mr. 
Brassey's silage contained 86 per cent, of water, it had only 
one-half of the quantity of acetic acid and much more of lactic 
acid than the amount found in Mr. Howard's silage. Notwith- 
standing the excellent quality of the clover silage, the Judges 
could not take the responsibility of highly commending this 
system. ■> 
7. Mr. H. A. Brasseijy Preston Hall, Kent. — Mr. Brassey's 
silo is of excellent design, and substantially built, but at the great 
cost of 35s. per 50 cubic feet of capacity.* A greater depth in 
the silo would secure storage capacity at very little additional 
cost, while the surface-exposure in comparison with the bulk 
of fodder would at the same time be reduced. The arrange- 
ments for filling and emptying are excellent. The silage was 
found to be decidedly acid. The waste was considerable, arising 
partly, no doubt, from Mr. Brassey's desire to give a fair trial 
* For details see pp. 262-264. 
