VOL. LXVII
INDIANAPOLIS, SEPT. 28, 1912
NO. 39
Fill the Silo Properly
Pointers For  the Beginner
in Making Good
Ensilage.
DETAIXS     THAT       SHOULD       BE
WATCHED TO INSURE SUCCESS.
The time of year has come
when the silos are being filled again
and there are a number of them that
will be filled this year for the first time
and perhaps there
are a few farmers
who have limited experience in this work
and some suggestions
to follow may be of
interest.
Many theories have
been advanced as
to when the corn is in
proper condition to
silo but as to yet there
seems to be nothing
definitely decided as
to when the corn is
in the right stage for
the silo. Some here
have cut it up when
the grain of the ears
were very milky while
we have heard of
some putting corn
and fodder that was
cut and put on shock
early in the fall, into
the silo in December
and wet it down quite
well and report excellent results. These
are the two extremes
and there is a happy
medium somewhere
but let that fact remain unsettled and
regardless of when
the corn is in the
correct stage there
is one thing certain
and that is, when the
silo |g being filled
all hands are extremely busy and at
best to fill the silo is
rather an expensive
operation and every *-——-———
°ne tries to reduce the expense to a
minimum.
Should Take Time in Filling.
We have a silo 12x31 and by the most
economical means it requires from two
(o two and one-half days to fill the
s'lo. But unfortunately for one reason or another we have never had the
corn that was to be siloed close at hand
and had to be hauled some distance
but we tried to overcome this by hav-
ing extra teams and men. Of course
'here are some advantages in not flll-
'ig the silo too quickly. Ensilage, no
matter how well it is tramped and
backed while filling is in progress, will
settle several feet in the course of a
'ew hours, therefore if a large silo is
e<J all in one day there can not be
-~* much ensilage get into the silo as
w"en it ls not filled so quickly.
When we decide that we are ready to
fill our silo we proceed after the following fashion and we like the idea:
We begin filling the silo right after dinner and run until dark. We get about
ten feet of material in the silo in this
time. Two men are constantly in the
silo tramping the newly cut ensilage
and even at that the ensilage will settle down about two feet until morning
at which time we begin in earnest to
fill  the  silo.
The  second    morning    we begin  as
the cutter after all corn is run through
to serve as a blanket to exclude air.
has any virtue as so little ensilage is
lost any way, (not over 8 or 10 inches)
that it hardly pays to do this extra
work.
When the farmer has set a day to fill
the silo and in order that it may be
done expediently at a minimum cost
and time he should make some previous  arrangements.
Inspecting Silo Before Filling.
First of all see that the silo has not
moved on the wall which they sometimes do when standing empty through
the summer. When this has been
righted then get the hoops up in place
and tighten them, this is important.
Get the doors all together.    Place them
Products from Indiana soils shown at the State Fair.
early as possible rl> fill the silo and we
are some twelve feet from the top and
these last few feet are put in by dusk.
We have no roof on our silo and it is
always filled  brim  full.
Believes in Wetting Ensilage.
Many have asked why we do not
have a roof on the silo. Roofs are for
beauty and not utility. All the rain
and snow that gets onto the ensilage
does not do it the least bit of hurt and
in fact if abundance of water were run
onto the ensilage when cutting is finished it would exclude much air and
save much ensilage. It might be added
that we never place straw or other material on the ensilage when cutting is
finished as we begin feeding at once
and if we did not we sometimes doubt
if the expense and time of running
straw, hay or similar material through
in the shoot where they will be handy
and can be placed in their proper
places in a few minutes time.
If you have your own silo cutter
and if any repairs are needed they
should be sent for at once as there may
be some delay in getting them to you
and a days delay may T>e the means of
getting the corn into the silo in the
wrong stage.
Getting the Corn Ready for the Cutter.
Usually we cut the corn with the
corn binder but a few years ago the
silo cutter was broken and a delay of
a few hours was encountered while
the repairs were being made at the
neighborhood blacksmith shop. The
men with teams and those engaged in
loading the wagons in the field were
each given a corn knife and asked to go
to the field and cut corn until the repairs    were    made and    the    machine
started again.      In this manner enough
corn was cut ahead to keep the cutting
box running when it was once started.
Also it was    impossible to    cut    every
stalk with the corn binder and  during
this  leisure   time   the   men   helped   the
man engaged    to cut off    these    uncut
stalks and in this manner no time was
lost    and expensive    help    were    kept
busy.
If  the  corn   knives  would   not  have
been  previously looked  up  much time
would   have  been   lost   but   they   were
sharpened and placed in the barftJjjfcere
they could  be  secured     if Sfey    were
needed and were in gwpd .crodition.
There are perhaps other little details
that need be    previously    arranged as
getting ample fuel on hand fer {he engine, hay ladders placed;^* IhesWagon
______________________    and    we    wwayS   got
out in the forenoon
with a few men and
started a number of
hands about 20 to 30
rows wide that when
the man operating
the corn binder could
go right along without stopping to open
UP roads in the corn
field and thereby
save time. Others
might be mentioned
but these are the
main   ones.
Our object for
starting to fill the silo
in the afternoon Is
that the forenoon is
used in making preliminary preparations
and then too the ensilage can settle over
night. It is not our
desire or intimination
to make every one engaged by us to
keep constantly at
work but we mean to
convey that when
men are employed at
30 cents per hour it
is a loosing proposition to have S or 10
men wait thirty minutes or even an hour
for them to begin
work when if some
little detail would
have been looked after this delay could
have been avoided
and the work could
-——-——    go right on.
Then in conclusion, look after these
details however small they may seem
and thereby overcome a leak.
Ira G. Shellabarger.
One of the speakers at the Prohibition
meeting in Bethany Park recently said
that local option, state wide prohibition
and liquor regulation laws are all a deception and there is no dry territory in
the country, because the government
allows the stuff to be shipped from one
state to another regardless of state laws
on the liquor question. Isn't he about
right? As long as liquor is made and
shipper wherever it is ordered the states
will pass prohibition laws in vain.
Drinkers can get it anywhere. That's
true; they can get it, but will they?
Some will, but many will not; they will
do without it rather than go to the expense and trouble.