ditnwj the Wet Season 0/ 1888. 
281 
green crops in these weather-beaten ishintls. It is not, however, 
to consider the general principles and practice of the ensilage 
system that this paper has been prepared, but to record the 
etibrts made in the past inclement summer by novices driven 
to adopt alternative methods for saving grass and other crops, 
upon which, in July and August, the waters beat and the sun 
refused to shine. Hundreds of ensilage stacks were then built 
— unwillingly — because there was no choice between them and 
the deep sea. In consternation, last summer, the farmers thi'ough 
out England, Scotland, and Ireland saw the forage crops of the 
year washed and rotting on the meadows, or uncut passing their 
maturity and becoming rather vegetable wire than succulent 
herbage. A scramble was then made, partly in despair, partly 
in hope, to save the deteriorated hay-harvest by the nevv-fengled 
process of ensilage. 
Luckily for the compulsory experiment, there existed, even 
by thousands, an advance-guard of agriculturists who had al- 
ready tried the system, who had found it successful, and who had 
moreover lifted up their voices, and told in the pages of this 
Journal, in the columns of the agricultural papers, in blue-books 
and buff-books, at farmers' clubs, market dinners, and at ensilage 
exhibitions, how the work should be done.' There existed, in 
fact, quite a library of ensilage books, in which the laws of the 
system were written, and these had only to be obeyed. Accord- 
ingly the new departure was made, and followed out under 
competent guides ; and correspondents from all the English 
counties, from Scotland and Ireland, as well as from Wales, 
now write of their experience, and report success won all along 
the line. From the enforced adoption of the ensilage system last 
summer forage crops were saved, and a vast amount of animal 
food was secured for future consumption. 
After the above statement it might be supposed that I need 
only give the details of the successful practice employed, so that 
others .might follow the same course. But I find these valuable 
details demand too much space for the present article, and may 
be more conveniently issued in a separate pamphlet, such as 
is now in preparation. There is further a strong reason that 
beginners should first make themselves, at least partially, 
acquainted with the principles and processes of a system such 
as, through several years, practice and science have endorsed 
from experiments. The shortest road to knowledge in this 
' See Practical Guide to Making Ensilage in Stacks and Silos, issued by the 
Ensilage Society (Eyre and Spottiswoode. Price dd.), giving references to 
these. 
