at Home and Abroad. 
211 
pcuetratiug into the interior of the silo. A covered silo is alvvaj's preferable, 
the more so as serving as shelter to the crops and the rolling-plant of the farm. 
I visited the Vicomte de Chezelles on January 5th this year, 
and carefully examined his silo, which presents several points 
of interest. In the first place, there is the enormous length, 
206 feet, without any internal division ; nevertheless M. de 
Chezelles does not attempt to commence filling the whole 
length at once, but confines himself to a section of about 26 feet 
at a time. I believe that this method of filling a long silo has 
not yet been tried in England. Another distinctive feature is 
the care with which each layer of green food is trodden as it is 
put in. Men are employed to stamp round the sides, and four 
heavy draught oxen (weighing probably 15 cwts. or more each), 
as well as horses, from time to time perambulate the remainder. 
The result is easily seen in the face of the cutting of the 
silage, by the depression of the lines of fodder towards the 
centre of the silo — the result of the superior weight of the 
oxen. The fodder being thus so thoroughly trodden as it is put 
in, subsequent weighting is not so important as it otherwise 
would be. Therefore M. de Chezelles finds it sufficient to cover 
the fodder with about 12 or 13 inches of earth, using no boards 
and no weights. The silo is capable of holding nearly 1500 
tons, and cost only 400Z., including the large barn above. Of 
course some allowance must be made for difference in the cost 
of labour in France as compared with England, but probablj' 
25 per cent, would be sufficient on that score — making the cost 
in England 500/., or only Qs. 8d per ton-capacity of the silo, 
for silo and barn together. It need scarcely be added that a 
smaller silo and barn would be relatively more costly, because, 
whatever its size, the silo must have two end walls. In one 
end of the silo at M. de Chezelles's is a very large and wide 
doorway, of such dimensions that a cart can back into the silo 
to be filled with the silage. When the silo is full, this doorway 
is closed up by means of boards, and just inside about six 
inches in depth of the silage goes mouldy ; otherwise there is 
said to be no waste, and certainly I could not perceive any. 
The silage is cut down vertically, but in steps ; and this plan 
enabled me to inspect not only the whole height of the mass, but 
also its quality at different distances inside. A sample sent to 
me afterwards consisted of clover, which had been put in long in 
consequence of an accident to the chopping-machine. It was 
very aromatic, and pleasingly so. I placed the box containing 
it in the laboratory, and without any covering, and although 
examined frequently by visitors, it did not go mouldy for a 
fortnight. I should add that M. de Chezelles was awarded a 
gold medal at the last Paris Fat-stock Show (February), for 
the sample of silage which he exhibited there. 
P 2 
