200 
Report on the Practice of Ensilage, 
' At present I do not believe in liglit pressure or no pressure. The weight 
of evidence goes to prove that the greater the pressure the better the silage — 
the limit being that point at which the juices begin to squeeze out. Up to 
that point, weight pays in the quality of the product, and in the quantity 
stored in a given space. * 
The major part of my silage was made with 20 lbs. of salt per ton of gmss, but 
I put some 10 or 12 tons on the top without any salt. Another year I think I 
shall use no salt : I consider the silage better without, and above all I found 
the cattle very thirsty from that with salt, and not at all so whilst on that with- 
out salt. As to the cost of getting and fiUing, the following is a whole day's 
work. It took ten different lillings to put in about 80 tons, of com'se many 
of them being less than half days, and Avith only two or three horses, and 
proportionally few men ; and if I had had any more grass to put in, and 
having allowed the silage to settle, I could have got about three more fillings 
of, say, 10 tons, 5 tons, and 2 j tons each. The mechanical system of pressure 
has a great advantage in allowing a silo to be filled up as long as any sj^ace 
remains, without the laboiur necessary to remove the dead-weight each time, 
which with that system scarcely seems worth while for small quantities. 
Cost of putting in silo a quantity of second-crop seeds and clover, led one 
and a quarter miles, 25 tons put in from about 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
£ s. d. 
Man and pair of horses mowing and raking , . . . 0 l-l 0 
5 single-horse carts and drivers 2 0 0 
2 men forking in field 0 60 
1 man forking off stage into silo 0 3 6 
1 old man and a woman spreading in silo . . . . 0 2 6 
Beer 0 4 0 
2s. 9ifZ, per ton. ^"^ 
The total cost of this silo has been about 150?., but doubtless it would have 
been more had it not been a home-made structure. — January 18, 1884. 
I first visited Mr. Johnson on August 20th, 1883, when only 
the old barn-silo was in operation. The pressure was applied 
as follows : — First the pitted fodder had been covered with old 
sleepers laid from side to side of the building, then two round 
lengths of fir or larch were laid across them (i.e. from one end 
of the building to the other), and upon these was brought to 
bear a leverage, like the old-fashioned cheese-press arrangement 
— the beam of the lever having at its end a big case filled with 
stones. By adding more stones, or taking some out, the pressure 
could easily be increased or diminished. A hydraulic jack was 
used to release the silage from pressure, at such times, for 
instance, as when it was required to raise or lower the fulcrum, 
which consisted in adding to or taking from a pile resting and 
acting transversely across the fir or larch logs. 
On January 22nd, 1884, I paid my second visit to Mr. John- 
son. In the meantime the old silo had been opened and a new 
one built. The means of mechanical pressure had been much 
improved, but at a considerable cost, namely, 40/., although 
Mr. Johnson, having been educated as an engineer, drew out 
his own plans, bought the materials himself, and supervised the 
