Government of the Central Provinces and Berar Forest Department. Bulletin No. 3 (Revised September 1941). Grass Silage Making (A note for use by the Public)

The subject dealt with in this bulletin namely an Inexpensive and simple method of converting grass available in plenty in the remoter forests into silage which is more compact and nutritive is one of the steps that the deparment has taken to help the people to improve the live-stock on which their general prosperity depends. [...] The Forest Department and the Agriculture Department are most anxious that the practice of storing grass should be started in earnest in this Province and the former has started demonstrations in all the Divisions of the Eastern Circle. [...] TYPICAL LAYOUT (PLAN) OF BATTERY OF 12 PITS (diagrammatic and not to scale)4 (a) Digging the pit— The site of the pit must be conveniently chosen after consdering both where the grass is found and where it will be convenient to have the fodder later. [...] When opening each pit the layer of earth forming the covering is removed by sections of sufficient width to permit easy removal of silage and at the same time minimise exposure of the rest of the contents of the pit to the air. [...] The amount of water used in the solution is 3 to 4 times the volume of the molasses (say 8 gallons to the ton).