MRS DOWN'S DIARY

EVERYTHING is now ready for silaging except for two things. Quite important ones really. One is raw materials, as the mower has broken to cut the grass. The universal joint on the power take off shaft (PTO) of the mower has had a funny turn and we are faced with the decision whether once more to repair the mower, buy a replacement, or bring in a contractor to cut the grass.

There is a sale later this week and several mowers are listed, but as John says "when you want to get rid of a piece of broken machinery where do you send it but the sale", so he is not convinced that he will find a good replacement there.

"If there is a good piece of tackle, everyone is after mowers at this time of year and the price will go sky high", so the odds are that moment are in favour of a repair.

He has spent the weekend power washing the silage yard and sealing it with Visqueen, a huge roll of black plastic. It is important not to have any seepage from the silage liquor other than into our dirty water system. From there it can be pumped out into the fields and spread far away from any watercourses and possible fines for pollution.

Having once had a milking herd we are actually well set up for getting rid of any dirty water. A huge tank lies underground where all the washings from milking used to go. It was set up on the insistence of a visiting official, at vast expense, and as we went out of milk shortly after installing it, for most of the year is rarely full. But not at silage time. The liquor from the grass resembles a foaming beer and is viewed as very palatable by the cows. Their annual booze up.

The other factor in the equation is getting hold of the contractor. He has not yet rung us to say when they are coming, so the farm is unnaturally calm. The sheep and cattle are quietly grazing the fields. Spooky. There must be some natural disaster in the form of a strangled lamb or drowned calf somewhere.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette June 6