In the far west of Cornwall the Penwith district has such a damp, but mild, climate that three crops of silage can be gathered anually.

Many of the small fields along the north coast still follow their Iron Age layout. In the Iron Age grain was stored in pits that were made airtight with a seal of clay, the top layer fermented but as soon as this used up the available oxygen the process stopped and the rest of the crop remains in good condition.

The modern method of rolling silage in plastic works on the same principle, as long as it remains air-tight the crop remains sweet. Unfortunately this method has the undesirable side effect of leaving streamers of black plastic flying from hedges and fences, scraps also get buried in the soil. It will be a long time before this plastic breaks down in the soil and traces may be around for centuries.

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