, 1884-12-06

ten, twenty, or even fifty per cent. off the
latter, and there is still a veritable Tom
Tidler'S ground at the bottom of every silo.
An acre Ofmeadow grass, according to Mr..
Woods, yielded twelve tons of "silage,o
which, valued at FL 6s. Sd. per ton, came
to G16, and left as profit over expenses no
less than &1O los. Sd. An acre of oats
made into silage was also valued at E16,
and the profit was go Is. Cd. Even spur
rey, grown on u blowing sand, by the
magic of the silo, left a margin over ex-
penSeS at the rate Of "a As. 10d. an acre,
a profit which would make the corn grow
ers heart to leap for joy. These, however,
were quite insignificant profits as compar-
ed with what was secured from an acre of
maize, cut green and put into one of the
Merton silos, managed for Lord Walsing-
ham by Mr.. Woods for the weight of that,
we are told, was twenty-five tons, the
value E34 lbs. 4d,, and the profit s920 9s.
Cd. Whether the ''pitted prOvender" is
worth the price that Mr.. Woods puts upon
it or not, is a point we must leave experts
to determine; but if we halve his declared
profits, there are fortunes in the silo still.
It is somewhat discomforting 81 to be awak-
ened from dreams of golden silos by the
harsh cry Of "pickled grass" from the Sage
VI hOUuduISUCNs 1uCI0 was SOlucUulUS
better than matter for poor Jokes in the
Premier's advice to farmers to go in for
jam. Then why not for pickle too? Sir
John Lawes, we are glad to see, is about
to try the experiment,-to see what en-
silage is worth, after disparaging it. But
fortunately, " pickles" is not the last word.
1t seems that at present we have arrived
at only a very documentary step in the
preservation of green fodder. Mr.. George
Fry, F.LSy of ChObham, Surrey, has re
Gently given exact instructions, through
the Mark Lane Express, as to making of
sweet Silage-that is, of silage free from
the excessive acidity which is the chief
objection to the provender as commonly
made. The silage produced by Mr.. Fry
last season was as sweet as wellmade hay,
and no one saw or smelt it could have
described it as "pickled grass" Other
persons have produced sweet silage by
accident; Mr.. Fry alone has demonstra-
ted the method of producing it infallibly.
Instead of preventing fermentation at a
high temperature by close packing and
heavy pressure, he produces q temporal
ture exceeding 122 degrees Fab, which
destroys the bacteria producing termen-
tation, and thus stops the progress which
would otherwise result in the formation of
aIcOHOl, dIuenyu, acetlc aClQ, ana other
products which occasion a loss of feeding
value. His system has the further adj
vantage of saving a great deal of the la
bouy commonly employed in chatting,
ramming, and weighing. Thus his fod-
der is not only much more valuable thar
that usually obtained from the siIo, but is
produced at less expense. Mr.. Fry's sys-
TEN is being tested by several "ensilors,"
and if it should prove successful, its gen
eral adoption will be only a question of
time. There will then be no danger of
tinting milk or butter by feeding cows
on silage; the fodder of the future
will be as pleasant as it will be profta-
BILE; spoilt hay crops will no longer be the
nightmare of farmers; corn may come to
be grown chiefly toprovide meal and straw
for cattle; aud agricultural depression,
and lear meat and dairy produce, may no
more trouble us.
The Cocoa Palm Industry In
F1Orida.-AnOther chapter is being
added to the industrial progress of Florida
in the cultivation of the cOcOanut free a