VOL. LXII
INDIANAPOLIS, JULY  6,   1907.
NO. 27
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THE  SILO QUESTION.
Deep, Narrow Silo is Best.
lst Premium.—The silo for the use of
the general farmer and feeder is coming
into more practical use every day. They
are cheap, and convenient and are not
hard to keep in repair, for after having
built a good one, it is substuntial and easy
to  keep  up. It  keeps  the  feed  in  a
unturnl condition through the winter
months, containing most of the moisture
of the green feed. The feed is therefore
succulent, and this is one of the hardest
problems to contend with in winter feeding.
In building a silo the first thing to take
into consideration are cost and size. The
number of head of stock will govern the
size, and a good silo put up at a little
grenter expenseis betterthan n poor, cheap
one. The better form of silo and the
most used is the circular silo. It has a
greater capacity, n higher wnll can be
used, and it does nwny with the corners
thnt nre in nn octngonnl or squnre silo.
Iu these corners silage will not pack down
well and will decay and give bad odors
when settling or soon after.
I would recommend a cement or concrete silo. Will give items for building.
It iB a little more expensive than the common stave or board silo, but is far superior in lasting qualities. A good cement
foundation, about 8 or 10 inches below the
frost line, is recommended, and projecting
about that high above the ground line, to
prevent water getting into the silo. The
foundation should be built Inrge enough
to accommodate a 14 or 16 foot diameter
silo, which is the most desirable size. If
any larger diameter it cannot withstand
the pressure against the walls so well, and
also enough silage could not be taken
daily from off the top to keep it from
spoiling, if the weather should turn warm,
or in early spring months. The wall can
be built up with either bricks or stones.
There should be two walls; that is, two
thicknesses, with a dead air space between. Barbed wire can be laid in with
the concrete work, or iron rods can be
used, which nre better. This is to reinforce the walls, which must be done as
there is great pressure from the inside outward, caused by the heavy silage pushing
down. The walls should be about 8 or 10
inches thick, and reinforced about every
16 or 18 inches. The inside of the silo
should be plastered up evenly, as it allows
the silage to settle evenly without any air
spaces in it.
The' chutes should extend from the top
to the bottom on one side, next to the barn
or shed where convenient. They should
be about 16 inches across, and can either
be every two feet or extend the whole
length of the silo, but every two feet is
recommended, so thnt reinforcements can
be put in. The doors should fit snugly
against each other at top and bottom. Inside the doors boards should be put, which
will slide out as the silage is used up.
A deep, narrow silo is the better. The
silage can then be taken out every day or
two without any danger of spoiling.
The top should be conical in shnpe and
should have a large enough hole to admit
a blower.
A drain should be put under the silo,
unless it is on a hill away from danger or
of floods or heavy rains. The bottom of
the silo can be cemented to slope toward
the middle,    and the bottom covered with
a  few thicknesses of tar    paper    before
filling.
In filling it should not be allowed to
stand long between fillings but should be
all without decay.
The capacity of silos varies a great deal,
but one-seventh is allowed for settling.
The capacity can be figured from cubic
feet. One cubic foot of silage weighs
40 pounds when settled in silo.
J. L. J.
Convenience  in   Feeding.
2nd Premium.—Probably there has been
no subject of more interest to the farmer
or one that has been discussed more fully,
and yet, upon which there is so much
doubt, as that of silos and ensilage .
with sheeting paper between, seems to be
sufficient, if supported against lateral
(side) pressure from the ensilage.
The common practice is to put crops into the silo when their full growth hns been
reached and before ripening begins. Mani-
l csi l.v one rule will not answer all purposes. The stock to be fed and the object of feeding must be considered in determining  when   the  crop   should   be  cut.
On this point must depend much of the
Milue of ensilage. During the process of
filling the ensilage should be kept level and
well-trodden. A horse mny be used very
effectively for the latter. Some attach
much importance to rapid filling, while
others make it more a matter of convenience. With the packing equally thorough,
Judging Draft Horses on     the Marion Fair Grounds.
In building a silo, the location, form or
shape, material and method of construction are to be considered. As to location:
A few have been built at a distance from
the stables, but generally the silos nre lo-
cnted with reference to convenience in
feeding nnd nre in, under or adjacent to
the feeding rooms. Local considerations
will determine whether the silo should be
below the surface or above, or partly
above nnd partly below. Where the
stables are in the basement of a barn, the
bottom of the silo may be on the same
level, or a few feet below, and the top
even with the upper floor. This arrangement combines the greatest facilities for
filling, weighing and feeding.
As to the shape, the cylindrical (round)
form seems to have obvious advantages.
If under ground a cylindrical wall is self-
supporting against outside pressure, nnd
may be much lighter than would be safe
in any other form. If of wood and above
ground, the walls may be stayed with iron
bands. In any case, for n given enpneity
the cylindrical form requires the lenst possible amount of wnll. A given weight of
ensilnge in n deep silo requires less extraneous pressure nnd exposes less surfnee
to the nir, than it would in a shallow silo.
For these reasons depth is important. But
too deep there is danger of expressing
juice from the ensilage at the bottom.
AVhere the ensilage is cut down in a vertical section for feeding a narrow silo has
the advantage of exposing little surface
to the air.
For walls under ground, stone, brick
and concrete are used. The choice of any
may safely depend on the cost.
In firm silos that do not . become saturated with water the kind of
material used is not important Above
ground  two thicknesses    of inch    boards
rapid filling is probably the best.
A layer of straw or bay will serve in
some measure to exclude the air, but it is
not necessary. Generally boards or planks
are placed directly on the ensilnge. The
cover is made transversly, having in view
the uncovering of a part while the weight
remains on the rest. Farmer.
Feed Lightly at First.
3d Premium—In building a silo we want
something that will keep the ensilage in
good condition. It must be air tight
around the sides and at the bottom. Most
farmers around here bave the "barrel"
silo. It is easily set up and gives satisfaction. Of course the round silos are best,
as there are no corners to fill out, and the
silage helps pack itself.
In filling the corn should be hard and
and the stalks green, or mostly so. There
are a few days before it is ready to cut up
that it is in this stage, and then is the
time to get the silo filled.
The silage may be used at once, or if
you have good late pasture or sugar corn
to feed the cattle, the ensilage mny be
kept till these feeds nre past. In feeding
take a layer off the top each day. The silo
should not be too large around to do this.
Two inches deep is deep enough to go, but
if it is not taken off this way it is apt to
spoil. Clover, etc., may be put into the
silo along with the corn. In feeding, give
only a small quantity at first, till cattle get used to eating it, or they will get
off their feed and not do well for some
time. Gradually increase the quantity
till each cow has about three pounds a
day. Reader.
how is it produced, and why is it profitable?
Premiums, of $1, 75 cents and 50 cents
are given for the best, second and third
best articles for the Experiment Department eaeh week. Mnuuscript should be
sent direct to the Indiana Farmer Company and should be sent one week before
date of publication.
No. 592, July 13—Tell how to avoid typhoid fever and malaria.
No. 593, July 20.—Wbat is "baby beef,"
Evolution of tbe Plow.
Editors ludlana Farmer:
In the evolution of the plow we find
that this tool of agriculture has never outgrown its resemblance to the forked limb
which our ancestors used first as a hoe
and later ns a plow.
With such rough tools ns they hnd at
hand our forefathers shaped the tough
limbs and crotches of trees into these instruments of agriculture.
The first plow was doubtless composed
of well-sensoned wood und in mnny instances was provided with only one handle.
There was a slight improvement made
in the plow of 1776; it had a wrought iron
share, and the different parts were fastened together with iron bolts. Sometimes
the wooden mould-board was plated with
sheet-iron or strips of old horseshoes hammered togethci.
James Small,' of Berkwickshire, Scotland, wns the first to introduce a plow
with a castiron mouldboard and a wrought
iron share. In 1785, he made the shares
also out of cast iron.
From 1788 to 1793, Thomas Jefferson
made several experiments to determine
the proper shape of the mould-board to do
the work in the best manner and offer
the least resistance. In 1797, Newbold,
of Burlington, New Jersey, obtained a
patent on a plow with a mould-board,
share and land-side all cast together. The
next pntent wns obtained by Pencock. He
enst his plow in three pieces; the point of
the colter entering a notch in the breast
of the share.
A man by the name of Ransom living in
Ipswich, England, chilled the cast shares
on the under side, so that they might
keep sharp by wear. This was in
1803.
Jethro Wood, of Scipio, New York, patented many improvements in 1819. His
was the first plow iu which the parts most
exposed to wear could be renewed by
substitution of cast pieces.
In 1820 Timothy Pickering, of Salem.
Massachusetts, first showed the importance of straight transverse lines on the
mould  board.
In 1854, Gibbs, of Canton, Ohio, constructed a plow which had its straight
transverse lines horizontal.
In many minor and important improvements on the plow, snch as setting
for depth and for land, and the like, it
still retains the peculiar family feature,
and a noted writer has stated, "It will
never get over the resemblance to that
primordial limb." A. R
We have received a number of inquiries concerning the meeting of Indiana
Farmer friends and patrons at our building on the State Fair grounds during the
fair next September. We shall gladly
welcome our agents, subscribers, patrons
and friends at that time in the Farmer
building. Mnke this a meeting place for
members of your family and friends. The
door will be open to welcome you all. It
will be a pleasure to meet you and get acquainted with the members ot our large
and interesting Farmer family.