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Report on the Practice of Ensilage, 
caused a maximum of labour in distributing it evenly over the 
whole area. At my suggestion some boards were fastened 
together and placed slantwise, so as to receive the chopped 
material and conduct it by its own weight more towards the 
centre of the silo, and thus ease the labour of distribution. 
About seven lads were employed in spreading, treading, and 
ramming the cut maize, two men were at the chaff-cutter, two 
Avere kept at work unloading the carts, and one man attended 
to the engine. These were in addition to the men employed 
cutting the maize in the field. The details as regards the 
filling of the other silos are given by Mr, Bateman himself in 
the foregoing statement, and it only remains to add that the 
silos have been constructed by him for the use of his tenants, 
but that this year all the crops pitted, viz. grass, clover, and 
maize, belong to one of them. 
15. Lord Middhton, Applecross, Boss-sltire. — The silo is divided into two 
pits by a concrete wall ; each pit is 8 feet deep, feet long, and 65 feet broad. 
It is below the level of the soil, having been dug under the floor of a hay-bam. 
The bottom of the pit is laid-with concrete 3 inches thick, the sides and ends 
8 inches thick ; the bottom and face of the walls are plastered all over with 
fine sand and cement : I have no experience of a silo without a roof. The 
cost was 12?. lis. The pit is substantially made, and will last for years. 
It was filled on the 20th of September, 1883, with green corn and partially 
ripe corn, which had been laid, and with greea natural grass. Most of the 
material was green and wet, but a small quantity was partly ripe and dry. 
The corn was chopped to 1-inch lengths, ijut the grass was not chopped. 
Nothing was used to mix with it. 
The silo was first filled up at one operation, and after ten days was refilled, 
hecause I considered that the sooner it was filled the better. The material 
was carefully and well tramped, then thick tarpaulin was placed over the 
silage, care being taken to fit it close to the sides ; over that, boards closely 
jointed, and fitting the pits exactly, were used. Pressure was obtained by 
sand-bags to the weight of 3 tons for each pit, when finished. The fodder was 
not weighed. The total cost of filling and covering was Zl. 5s., subdivided as 
follows: — Mowing, 12,s. ; carting, 12s.; chojiping, £1 4s.; pitting, 4s.; 
treading, 9s. ; and weighting 4s. The boards cost 16s., but this item is in- 
cluded in the original cost of the silo. 
I purpos'j to give the silage to the dairy-cows in April and May as a 
substitute for turnips. — January IQth, 1884. 
Samples of both kinds of silage were received on December 24, 
1883, and were both of good quality. The unchopped meadow- 
grass, which contained 74 4 per cent, of water, was, however, 
rather better than the chopped green corn, which contained 
74 8 per cent, of water. 
IG. Mr. A. W. F. Fade, Brafferton, DarliiKjton. — My silo is 12 feet long, 
(J feet in breadth, and 9 feet high, above the level of the ground. It is built 
of 18-inch walls, made up of 13 inches limestone, 4i inches brick, and 2 inch 
cement, with a cement lloor, and a movable corrugated iron roof. It has a 
2-inoh wooden door, 4 feet by 2 feet G inches, conveniently placed 2 feetC inches 
