Report on the Practice of Ensilage, 
operation, and the principle of ensilage being founded on the exclusion of 
atmospheric air, I think this end is better gained by periodical fillings, and 
immediate application of pressure after each filling. The materials hitherto 
used have been wood-edges, grass from rough lawns, coarse as well as good 
meadow-grass, clover and rye-grass, green oats, tares, &c. As far as possible 
I am keeping each description separate, so as to see how they come out. The 
materials are pitted when at their fullest growth, and both chopped and long ; 
but I prefer to chop it, because in that state it packs better, sooner, and 
closer; and when taken out is at once available for mixture with other 
foods. Chopping is done bj' an ordinary 10-inch chaff-cutter, which cuts 
haif-inch lengths. If I were getting one for the sole purpose, I believe that 
2-inch lengths would be equally good. I mix about f-lb. of salt to the 
cwt., not that I think it is necessary for its preservation, but in any event it 
is good for the cattle. I should on no account use any dry material during 
filling, but when the silos are finally filled up I shall probably put a layer of 
dry bran on the top. 
The material is compressed by means of iron blocks made for the purjwse, 
and weighing 1 cwt. each. Three men can lift 24 tons from the bottom on 
to the side in 3 hours, and can replace them in little more than an hour. The 
pressure amounts to about li cwt. per superficial foot. As to the weight of 
the crops put into the silos and that of the preserved material taken out, I am 
carefully trying to ascertain this in the case of one silo, but there should not 
be any aiipreciable difference. The cost of filling and the expense of covering, 
compressing, and emptying the silo is being carefully kept, and ^vill be sup- 
plied when completed. The blocks cost at present about 45s. per ton, 
flelivered at the nearest railway station. The iron, being Xo. 3 Foundry, is 
a little more costly than an inferior quality of iron, saj', one shilling per ton ; 
but their value for sale at any time is nearly equal to their first cost, and 
therefore only the interest on the capital iuvested should be charged annually. 
I propose to cut out the material exactly as from a stack. — August 10th, 1883. 
PS. — Assuming the amount of material dealt with during a fair day's 
work is 20 tons, as cut from the field, and that the distance to be led does 
not exceed a quarter of a mile ; further, that this material would be mown off 
3 acres of land by a man with a two-liorse mowing-machine in 3 hours, the 
cost would be as follows : — 
£ s. J. 
Mowing 0 () 0 
Carting to silo (3 horses) 0 15 0 
Treading 3 men^ 
Forking on to carts, 2 „ I , , i i /^ 
„ "fromcartsilnmnh^'^^-r'^^^-'^y ..110 
Feeding chopper, 1 „ J 
Raking, 3 boys or women 0 30 
Allowances (say) 0 5 0 
Putting on and taking off weights 0 -1 '! 
Total £2 14 6 
This comes to about 2s. dd. per ton, or, at 7 tons ixjr acre, to 19s. od. [x^r acre. 
I should consider this ample, but I may add that a farmer who has always a 
certain staff of men and horses to keep would not be ])ut to quit-e so much ex- 
pense. It will be observed that the cost of chojiping is not included, because 
the power is obtained from a sawmill, and is so small that its loss is not felt.* 
* If we allow 5f. per acre for this (irrespective of the cost of the man feeding, 
as given above), it would then bring the total up to Mr. Easdalc's estimate of 
24 1., 88 mentioned below. 
