VOL. LXVIII
INDIANAPOLIS, AUG. 23, 1913? =
Things to Know About Riling the Silo
The silo long since passed the experimental stage and is now generally
acknowledged to be one of the.necessaries on a well regulated dairy farm
or even on the farm where beef and
butter making receive only the average
amount of attention usually given to
them by the diversified farmer. Ever
since the first silo was built in the
United States, the kno%vledge of silage
and its value as a food for live stock
has rapidly been spread among dairymen and stockmen, until it has crystallized into an astonishing development
of the use of silage.
An acre of corn will yield more feed
for cattle when properly put into a silo
than any other kind of feed grown on
the same ground. All of the corn crop
is utilized when put in the silo. There
is actually as much food value in the
stalks as in the ears. The trouble was,
before the coming of the silo, to get
the stalks into shape so that the cows
could make use of all of the corn
stalks.
More than one-half of the value of
the stalk is below the ear and this Is
wasted when fed in a dry state, as
cows cannot properly masticate this
woody-fibered stalk. The only parts
they can make use of are the leaves
and fine portion or top of stalk. And
a portion of these edible parts of dry
fodder is wasted by tramping under
foot. This is especially true when fodder is scattered on the ground for the
stock in the fields or feed lots. Ordinarily, the cow, and the horse, too,
only use about one-third of the stalk
when cured and fed dry. This not only necessitates the handling of a great
bulk that is not used, but leaves littered around a lot of canes that are a nuisance in the manure pile or in the
feeding lots. Then the process of
husking the ears from the stalks and
securing a sufficient quantity of fodder
to carry the stock through the winter
ls ra'her Blow, expensive work.
When properly handled, the cows eat
silage down to the very butt of the
stalk, as the heating and fermenting in
the silo 80 cooks and softens the stalks
that it is easily masticated. The same
can also be said of the grain on the
ear. It ls put into that condition where
lt is as easily masticated and digested
as though lt were shelled and ground
in a milt Indeed, it is put in even
better shape, as lt is most thoroughly
mixed with the coarse part of the stalk
and in the end ls better assimilated.
Precautions to Take in Filling the Silo.
The filling of the silo is a comparatively simple operation when the farmer has the necessary help and machinery, though there are many precautions that must be taken, lf first-class
silage is to be secured. It has been
said that to make good silage is more
difficult than to make good hay. The
silo may be of wood, brick, concrete or
tile, but it must be tight enough to exclude the air. If a stave silo, it should
be examined before time to fill and the
hoops should be tightened and all
doors ought to be numbered so that
each door will fit properly in Its place
aa soon as the silo is filled up.
Suggestions for Making Silage of the .Best Quality
By W. F. Purdue
The methods employed by different
farmers vary greatly. This is occas-
sioned largely by the scarcity of help
and by the kind of machinery that is
used. There are several makes of silo-
fillers and any of them will do good
work. The most efficient power for
operating the silage cutter is an engine such as is used with threshing
rigs.    If sufficient power is lacking the
the cutter. The stalks of corn should
be fed in just as fast as the machine
will take them, so as not to lose time.
When possible, they should be fed in
tassel end first; the machine takes
them better that way. The pitchers
can greatly assist the feeder by pitching the bundles right end to, and pitching them at a steady, regular rate. The
most  desirable  length  to cut  the corn
A Busy Day on the Farm of J.  F.  Larkin,   Martin  County.
process of filling the silo  will be very
slow.
The main thing in operating the silage cutter is to keep the knives sharp,
so thi-y will make a clean cut at every
revolution. The knives should be kept
sharp enough at all times to cut the
husks of the ears. "When the knives
begin to get dull the husks will be
blown up uncut, although the stalks
and ears will be cut all right. The
main rate of filling depends a great
deal upon the man doing the feeding.
It is hard, active work to feed fast and
properly, and for this reason some
farmers aim to work two men at the
feeding, each feeding a few hours at a
time while the other keeps the loose
stalks and trash picked up and fed into
is variously estimated, but ordinarily
the shorter the better, enabling a more
thorough mixture of the mass and a
more compact settling. The exclusion
of air is the main point. The customary length is one-half inch; the
stalks and corn will then be in a fine
condition  for feeding.
After the corn begins to enter the
silo there should be at least two men
to see to its proper distribution In the
silo and to pack it thoroughly. The
distributor renders good service, yet
no small portion of the heavier parts
of the corn drop almost directly
down and soon form a pile there if not
thrown to the outside with a fork. The
outer husks and leaves blow to the outside wall, and  if no one is at hand to
The Owner of These Silos Feeds Ensilage Nearly the Year Round.    A Gasoline Ewjine is Used to Furnish Power to Run Silage Cutter.
keep the silage properly scattered the
silo will fill very unevenly and settle
unevenly and thus cause more or less
moldy silage. The ideal way to have
the cut corn in the silo is to have all
parts evenly distributed, but it is hard
to keep it this way when everything
is working well below and there are no
stops. The silage must be firmly
packed in place. Especial pains must
be taken to trample heavily about the
walls as no air should enter down the
sides of the silo. Taking everything
into consideration, the hands in the
silo have a responsible place to fill.
When to Cut and How to Handle the
Corn.
The best time to cut the corn for the
silo is after the kernes have dented
and yet before the leaves have dried.
At this time it will be found that two or
three of the lower leaves of the cornstalk have begun to turn yellow, and
when this stage has been reached operations should be begun and carried
on rapidly, for frost may come at any
time and corn matures very quickly
after it has once started. During a
normal fall the perloa when the corn
may be cut ls from a week to ten days.
If the corn is cut too green the silage
will be sour and thus not very palatable to the cows, and so much of it will
be left and wasted. If allowed to become too dry before it is put Into the
silo, portions of It will dry mold or fire
fang round the edges, thus permitting
the air to get in. In this case also a
large portion of the silage is wasted.
In addition to this, the chemist has
found that a very large per centage of
the valuable feeding nutrients of a
plant is stored up during the first stage
of maturity, hence the importance of
cutting the corn at the right time.
It is generally considered that the
best corn for silage is that which is
well-eored, so that there will be plenty
of grain in the silage. A number of
farmers claim that overripe or badly
frustc-u corn can be turned into good
silage by applying water in the blower-
box of the cutter if there is not enough
moisture left in the corn, so that the
silage will go into the silo dripping
wet. If a slat-carrier type of silo filler is used, the water will have to be
sprinkled on the silage Inside of the
silo.
The corn harvester or binder, which
is being prefected year by year, is a
great aid in making silage. In upstanding corn it does its work with neatness
and dispatch, and binds the corn into
convenient bundles for handling and
feeding into the cutter. Even where
corn is blown down or lodged, present-
day devices enable the binder to do
creditable work, so that it is seldom
necessary to employ the corn-knife
■which means a lot of extra hands if the
s'lo is to be filled with dispatch. The
binder should ba started the day before
filling time and lt should be kept running steadily while the corn is being
run into the silo. It is never advisable
to get too much corn cut down before
filing commences owing to the danger
cf rain or other unfavorable weather.
Continued on page 9.