190 
Report on the Practice of Ensilage, 
American agricultural reports. I covered the bulk of the pitted fodder with 
a thin layer of rough hay, over which 2-inch deal planks were laid closely 
together, but free of the walls, to allow of sinking. Above these were laid 
large rough stones, about equal to 3 cwts. ]ier square foot. The field was 
4^ acres in extent, and was estimated to yield 35 cwts. of ordinary clover-liay 
per acre. Taking the pitted fodder to weigh, as is calculated in the United 
States, 50 lbs. per cubic foot, the contents of the silo amounted to 21\ tons. 
The cost of filling and covering the silo, as well as mowing the crop and 
hauling it from the field, was as follows: — ■ 
£ s. d. 
4 men 3 days each, treading and filling = 12 days at 2s. Q>d... 1 10 0 
4 men 4 days each, covering = 16 days at 2s. Qd 2 0 0 
Hauling, horses and man, 3 days at 12s 1 16 0 
Cutting by steam, say 1 10 0 
Mowing 42 acres at 5s 12 6 
Total £7 18 6* 
The door of the silo was bricked up inside with 45-inch brickwork; when 
this was pulled down we cut out the pitted material as from an ordinary hay- 
stack. The result was that instead of tons of inferior hay (owing to very 
wet weather), we obtained 27i tons of excellent sweet and juicy " silage." 
As to the effect of moisture, I may say that one day was soakingly wet, and 
that the portion cut on that day, though still sweet, is certainly not equal to 
what was mown and chaffed in merely showery weather. Of the keeping 
properties of the pitted fodder, although my experience is not great, I should 
say that if the door is kept closed it will keep nearly as well as haj-. Hitherto 
I have noticed no signs of unsoundness. We opened the silo on Novem- 
ber 4th, just four months after it had been filled and closed. If needful the silo 
■would have held 40 tons ; and I am so satisfied with this, my first year's expe- 
rience, that I am now building three more silos, and hope next year to make 
100 tons of " sWage"— December 10th, 1883. 
A sample of this silage received on December 13tli contained 
65 '2 per cent of water, and kept very well in a wide-mouth 
stoppered bottle. 
31. H. C. Fryer, Esq., Lodge Pari; Glandovey, Cardiganshire. — My silo 
is 20 feet long by 9 feet wide, and 9 feet deep, and is entirely above the level 
of the soil. It has been constructed as follows : — Having a barn, stone-built 
and slated, 20 feet wide, immediately adjoining my chaff-cutting loft, I 
partitioned off one end, 9 feet in width, by a stone wall. The whole of the 
interior walls were then covered with cement plaster, the floor being already 
of cement concrete ; a strong deal door was provided at one end of the cross- 
wall, opening inwards, deal boards were screwed on flush with the outside of the 
wall, and the interstice between the door and boards was filled with sawdust. 
The cost of the cross-wall, cement, plaster, door, &c., was about 9?. The 
building will last a lifetime. 
The silo was filled on October 4th and 5th, 1883, with Italian rye-grass 
previously cut for soiling, and mixed " seeds," from which a crop of seed hay 
had been made in July previous. When mown, the crops were not quite ripe 
for haymaking. All the materials were cut into chaff in lengths of about 
i inch. I mixed about 2 lbs. of salt to each cwt. of silage. I fancied tlie salt 
would assist to preserve the fodder, and would also make it more wholesome. 
* Equal to 5». IQd. per ton. — H. M. J. 
