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1 Fers., 1898.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAD. 95 
The first thing to do after the silo is filled is to see that its surface is 
trampled very thoroughly every two or three days for a period of at least ten 
days. Hither the covering material or the silage itself should receive a 
thorough wetting with water at the rate of 15 to 20 lb. per square foot of 
surface. 
The object of the water is to restore that which is lost by evaporation 
due to heating. and to develop quickly a thin, well-rotted, very wet layer on 
the surtace, which then becomes a nearly air-tight cover for the silage. The 
weight of corn silage increases with the depth below the surface, with the 
amount of water in the silage, and with the diameter of the silo. Ata depth 
of | foot a cubic foot of silage weighs 18°7 lb.; at 8 fect, 22:11b.; at 5 feet, 
25:4 1b.; at 7 feet, 28°5 Ib.; at 9 feet, 31°6 lb.; at 12 feet, 35:9 lb.; at 15 
fect, 40 lb.; at 24 feet, 50 lb.; at 85 feet, 60 lb. 
The capacities of silos increase more rapidly than do their depths, so much 
so that a silo 86 feet deep will contain nearly five times as much silage as one 
only one-third that depth. 
Doubling the diameter of the round silo increases its capacity a little 
more than four times, while trebling its diameter increases its capacity nine 
times. : 
Silage spoils more rapidly when fed from the sides than when fed from 
the top. Slight traces of mould have been observed in silage, when being fed 
at the rate of 1:2 inches per day, and this would indicate that it should not be 
fed slower than this daily. Hach 2 inches of corn silage will weigh, on an 
average, 75 lb., and on this basis the proper surface area would be placed at 
5 square feet per cow or her equivalent. 
Where the feeding areas are small enough to allow the surface to be 
lowered 2 or more inches each day, and assuming 40 1b. to be fed to each cow 
daily, then a silo 80 feet deep, round, and with a diameter of 15 feet will 
contain 108 tons of silage, and will feed thirty cows for 180 days. Increase 
the diameter to 20 fect, the contained silage weighing 216 tons will feed sixty 
cows for the sane period, whilst with a diameter of 26 feet the content of 
silage will be 360 tons, sufficient to feed 100 cows for 180,days. If the silo has 
square sides, the dimensions for thirty cows will be 12 x 14 feet, for sixty 
cows 18 x 18 feet, and for 100 cows 24 x 24 feet. : 
It is possible to avoid all surface loss by arranging the feeding of the 
silage and the filling of the silo. ‘lo do this a silo would be built which 
would hold feed enough to carry the stock from 1st October* until the first 
erop of clover is ready to cut for hay and silage. At this time the silo may be 
empty, and then enough clover silage should be made to last until either a 
second crop of clover or corn is ready to cut. With this plan there would be 
no time when silage is not being used, and no time for surface loss, while the 
two fillings allow a smaller silu to answer the purpose. 
The silo should be placed where it is most convenient to feed from, and to 
fill. The best place is in the barn, where the silage is to be fed. 
Various criticisms are urged against silage, and particularly against the — 
building of silos in a:barn where cows are kept. 
As a result of a series of observations made by the writer of these notes 
(Professor I’. H. King, Physisist to the Agricuitural Experiment Station, 
University of Wisconsin, United States of America), it was demonstrated 
beyond question that, when silage is fed a short time before milking, a sweetish 
odour is imparted to milk, by which it may be detected from milk not produced 
from silage. It was further demonstrated that if the silage is fed to cows just 
after milking, in the majority of cases, milk so produced could not be separated 
by the sense of smell from non-silage milks. 
The reason for these differences is plain. Whenever a cow eats any 
substance containing a volatile principle which isnot digested . . . . then 
this will be removed from the blood through the various channels of excretion. 
* In the United States—April in Queensland, 
