212 
Rejort on the Practice of Ensilage, 
2. Xcns. H. Coitu, La ToucJie, par Azay-le-Jtideau (Jndre-el-Loire). — In 
making my silos I thought it more practical to have several of medium size 
rather than a very large one. It struck me that the more limited the space 
of working, the chances of loss would be proportionately lessened: and there- 
fore that it was preferable to let the greater part of my preserved fodder be 
well stored without any openings. This decided me to turn a stable for 
20 head of cattle into 8 silos, length 10 metres (33 feet), breadth 2 metres 
(6 ft. 8 in.), and depth 3 metres (10 ft.). They are separated by a wail 
40 inches in thickness, which allows the cutting-machines to be set up on one 
silo or another. I have adopted this plan to facilitate the inspection and pre- 
servation of the pitted fodder. My silos are on the level of the soil, but are 
at the highest part of the farmyard. They have been sunk in a bed of hard 
tufa, which forms the small hill, at the base of which are my farm-buildings. 
After the pits had been sunk, they were lined with lime-mortar, on which a 
layer of Portland ctmsnt has been placed. The eight silos form a whole, entirely 
cemented, and appear to be as one. I made my first trial with a single silo, 
cemented, and open above. The preservation has been perfectly successfu}. 
Earth in this case was the material employed to load the silo. The first cost for 
digging the eight silos was 260 francs (101. 8s.), and 3100 francs (124Z.) for the 
coating of mortar and laying on the Portland cement. To that must be added 
the sum of 1800 francs (72Z.), the cost of the roofing. According to my calcula- 
tions, they should last indefinitely, without any appreciable cost for repairs ; as 
to the roofing, or rather the framework, having been made very light, it will 
have to be renewed in another twelve years ; it has already lasted eight years. 
I commenced filling the silos on the IGth of September, and finished one 
silo on the 20th. I shall continue to do so on the 24th of September till ray 
maize crop is completely harvested. I have preserved all crops — hay, 
sainfoin, lucerne, grass, vetches, rye and oats, green maize, stalks of artichokes, 
tubers of artichokes, and beets unpulped and mixed with " husks." I preserve 
especially vetches, rye, and maize. When I took these crops out of the silo, 
they were nearly in the same state as when they were put in ; the maize was 
a little greenish-yellow, and gave ofi' a strong odour of alcohol. The vetches, 
lucerne, grass, and artichoke-stalks become a deeper colour, inclining tt> 
maroon, and exhale an odour of brown honey. I take and cut the lucerne, 
vetches, and grass at the beginning of the flowering period, the maize when 
the panicles of the flowers show themselves en masse in the fields at the top 
of the stalks, and the artichokes when in full flower. I pit them always after 
chopping. This year, finding myself pressed with work in the spring, I pitted 
the vetches and rye unchopped. They were well preserved, but the working 
of the silo has been very difficult for the herdsmen, and the loss to the cow-stalls 
much greater than with the prehminary chopping ; therefore it would have 
been more profitable if I had chopped them as usual. The average length of cut- 
tings is 1 centimetre (I inch). The mass thus becomes more homogeneous, and 
a certain cubic space being given, I utilise it as completely as possible by 
cutting up finely, for by this means I am able to store a greater quantity ol 
fodder. When I have, towards the end of the year, some cavings of wheat 
and oats which have not been used, I have them placed among the pitted 
maize till they are exhausted. This is done by placing the cavings in large 
sacks, and the man who looks after the cutting-machine lets one of the sacks 
of cavings fall in the silo at intervals. The women in the silo mix the cavings 
with the maize ; the mixture is always rich, i.e., with a small proportion of 
cavings. I also use them before beginning to cut by spreading a layer of 
tliem of from 15 to 26 centimetres (6 to 8 inches) at the bottom of the silo. 
This species of cushion absorbs the juices of the pitted fodder, if any are pro- 
duced, and is mixed with the latter when the silo is opened. I always add 
common salt in pitting; not so much to aid the preservation, as to furnish my 
animals with the salt which they require, and thereby I can avoid placing the 
I'ieccs of rock salt (always diflicult to fix properly) in the feeding troughs. 
