The Winter of 1885-86. 
381 
means of giving with tliemamorc bulky anii digestible food to fill the animals' 
stomachs. 
" Here then was an instance where the advantage of having silage was 
beyond all possibility of doubt. 
" It is known by practical and experienced men that when straw on light 
land is of slow growth it is tough and indigestible; to have given animals 
chaff made from such straw, without the admixture of some other food more 
easy of digestion, must have had the effect of producing many ailments from 
which they would otherwise be tree. 
" On Lord WaLsingham's farms in hand, the animals were fed on mixed 
straw chaff' and silage, with a limited allowance of artificial food ; they 
remained healthy throughout, and did remarkably well. 
" Upon one farm the old shepheid mo^t strongly objected to the idea of 
having a little kidney-vetch silage put into troughs in a forward fold, for 
the lambs to pick at when the few turnip-tops there had been were done. It 
was, however, insisted that the order must be obeyed. 
"A few days after the silage had been given as directed, four lambs were 
taken with scouring, their coats staring, and they looked in anything but a 
satisfactory state. The shepherd came to me at the fold in a most doleful 
frame of mind, and said, ' That silage is, as I expected, reg.uJar upsetting 
the lambs, and you will see that it will kill a lot on 'em.' 
" After carefully looking among the ewes and lambs, I saw what had caused 
the scouring of the four lambs, and then, to the shepherd's horror, I remarked, 
'Now shepherd, understand me clearly when I say that the lambs shall have 
the silage as directed, if it kills the whole lot.' 
" This seemed too much for the old man, and he did not say another word, 
but his countenance clearly showed what he felt. It was only natural that 
he should feel alarmed, for he has a ])ecuniary as well as a professional interest 
in the successful rearing of as many lambs as possible. 
" I purposely kept away from the ewes and lambs for at least a fortnight, 
but told the bailiff to keep a sharp eye on them, and to let me know if any- 
thing further went wrong. I had no unfavourable report from the bailiff. 
" The next time I went to the sheep, the shepherd lost no time in approach- 
ing me, and the look of his face showed clearly that he was out of his trouble. 
He remarked, 'I was rarely wrong about the silage upsetting the four 
lambs you saw. They soon got all right. Look at my lambs now, and see 
how well they are doing.' 
" It was quite true that they were doing well, and have continued healthy 
and thriving ever since. It is said they are the best of lambs on any light 
land farm in the neighbourhood. The ewes had a mixture of silage and 
chaff. 
" It is worthy of remark, that while a flock of ewes on a neighbouring farm 
did not do well during last winter and spring, and came out of their wool 
very low in condition, the lambs looking unthrifty and stunted, the sheep- 
shearers declared that they had seen no ewes this year anything like so fresh 
in condition or producing better wool, nor lambs looking more thriving and 
healthy than those on Lord Walsinghaui's farm, to wliicii I have referred. 
" I should perhaps add that our silage is made in close silos, and is well 
trodden and rammed after having been jiassed through the chaff-cutter. By 
incurring the slight additional cost of these operations we secure our forage 
with the smallest possible percentage of loss in its weight ; and if the amount 
of acid developed is sufficient lo indicate the progress of chemical change, it is 
not injurious to the animals consuming it, nor is it so considerable as in many 
approved samples of so-called ' Sweet ' silage. 
" 7. As a rule, there is insuflicient shelter for sheep in this district, but 
more has been provided since my lecture, on the 'Breeding and Management 
