410 
Report on the Experiments on Ensilage 
Notes on Contents of Silo. 
The material was removed from the silo in slices taken from 
top to bottom. As already mentioned, the whole contents were 
divided into four blocks, each of which was sampled, a sample 
being cut from top to bottom. A record was kept of the weights 
of material removed, and also of what portion was good and 
what was unfit for use. Further, the exact weights of food 
given to the beasts used in the experiment were recorded. As 
the silage was gradually cut into and removed, it was found that 
the mould on the top surface varied from 3 inches to 5 inches in 
depth ; at a depth of 6 inches from the surface there was from 
1 to 2 inches of waste at the sides. Eight inches down, however, 
there was no Avaste at all. 
At the back and in the corners there was some little waste, 
due to the impossibility of compressing the grass in these parts 
so perfectly. The lowest foot of silage was considerably wetter 
than that above, but remained perfectly good to within half-an- 
inch of the bottom. The last quarter-inch was very wet, and 
had a decidedly strong smell ; this the beasts would not eat. 
But the whole waste was, it will be noticed, wonderfully small, 
showing that experience in silage-making has contributed greatly 
to improvement in this direction. 
This year, as last, proved that in silage-making there is really 
no need of special drains to silos if extreme pressure be not 
used, and that the more perfectly the grass is kept from the 
intrusion of air the better will be the result; also that there is 
less waste when cemented brick is in contact with the silage 
than when wooden boards are used to close it in. 
A cubic foot of the silage weighed 24^ lbs. 
In the Table on page 413 are given the respective losses of the 
several constituents, by the process of ensiling and the making 
of hay respectively. The total loss due to fermentatibn, evapo- 
ration, &c., in making the silage was 7 "29 per cent, on the 
fresh grass. Of this, 3j per cent, consisted of water. The loss 
of total nitrogen when, as here, no drainage was allowed to flow 
away, is very slight ; but the nitrogenous bodies have undergone 
considerable change from the albuminoid to the non-albuminoid 
condition. The woody fibre, as indeed the whole of the fibre, 
has been diminished, insoluble albuminoids are lessened, and 
the soluble albuminoids increased. In the hay, the nitrogen has 
undergone but little change. These are the main features 
shown in the Table. 
