210 
Report on the Practice of Ensilage, 
The Vicomte de Chezelles has issued the following directions 
for pitting green fodder: — 
I think that the crops should be cut a few days before maturity, and when 
they are full of sap. All kinds can be pitted, viz., TrlfuJium incarnatum, 
lucerne, sainfoin, meadow-grass, winter and summer vetches, rye, and green 
maize, though the latter is less profitable i>ittcd thau when eaten green (this 
refers to my district). The pressure should be arranged as regularly and 
evenly as possible, especially along the wall and in the corners of the silo. 
Pressure is obtained in the middle by making the cattle and horses pass over 
it when going to and returning from work. It is absolutely necessary to 
have a man in the silo to S2)rcad the fodder as it arrives. It is difficult to 
give the pressure per square metre. No straw or well-dried hay must ever be 
mixed with the green crops that it is intended to pit. The walls of the silo 
should be plastered over, but the bottom should be made of a good dry 
ground. The former should be straight, and the corners rounded. The 
depth of the silo should be from 13^ teet to 15 feet, breadth about 23 feet, 
so that a carriage could have no difficulty in turning in it ; the length must 
vary according to the needs of the farm. Silage is best made in cloudy or 
hazy weather, as too much dryness would be detrimental. It is pitted in 
successive layers, a little salt being added to each laj'cr of 12 to 14 inches 
thick. When the fodder is about 3 feet above the level of the soil, it should 
be again well pressed down by the cattle, and by the men along the sides, 
and then be covered by a layer of earth or sand of 12 to 13 inches thick. In 
feeding cattle, the fodder, when pitted, is mixed with choi)ped straw and beets 
for the cows; for oxen, sheep, and other animals for iiUtcning, it is mixed 
with pulp. Green fodder placed unchopped in the silo, and which is perfectly 
preserved, is given whole to the young beasts and foals, but it must be 
chopped (when taken from the silo) when it is to be mixed with other fodder. 
General rule: for adult animals, mashes should contain one-third dry food. 
There is in our mashes about 44 lbs. of pitted fodder per head of cattle. 
The nctt cost-piice j^er ton is based on the estimate what the crops have cost, 
to which the expenses of loading, unloading, and pitting must be added. For 
this work, five men load the waggons, whose number varies according to the 
distance of the land to the silo. The fodder is unloaded, and two men arrange 
and press it down in the silo. When chopped, as is done at Boulleaume, two 
men unload and place it on the table of the maize-cutter, two others feed the 
machine, and another two arrange it in the silo. To the wages of these men 
must be added the hire of the engine, the day's work of the engineer, and the 
value of the fuel consumed. Therefore the nett cost-price is about 8s. Gd. or 
Us. per acre.* The pitting of the unchoi)ped fodder, with the two men m the 
silo, would only cost 3s. per acre. But in both cases mowing and cartage will 
bo extra. It is well to observe here that in this district the daily wages of a 
man for mowing are from 2s. 8J(^. to 3s. l|cZ. 
The diminution of pitted fodder when whole is about half ; when chopped 
it is a third ; we therefore think it best to chop the fodder, as the sinking 
takes place more regularly, and besides which, there is economy of sjiace. 
When a silo is uncovered, 12 to 13 inches of earth must be placed on the 
fodder, and a strong hay-cock should then be placed above to prevent the water 
* The following analysis will show Iiot we divide the nctt cost : — 
s. d. 
Mowing 2 IJpcraTjre. 
Cartage 1 iij „ 
Loading 2 H „ 
Steam-cutting 2 l.V ., 
Pressure (by stamping of men in bile) .. .. 0 10 „ 
8 G 
