Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1900-07-31
YET AGAIN I'VE siio

VET AGAIN THE Silo.
Considering the astonishing humber
OF siios built last year, Ii is remarkable
that so few of them failed to meet the
expectations OF their owners; this Is al
most proof conclusive that the principles
of silsge making are correct, else the
tens Of thousands OF silos all oger the
United States and the increasing use OF
ensilage for the last twenty years under
all conditions, favorable and adverse,
would not have proven so uniformly
successful. Few are abandoned, and
still fewer are pronounced failures. On
the other hand, there seems to b. more
widespread inquiry In regard To the silo
each year. Never before have the sclen-
tifie Investigators been conducting such
painstaking Investigations aud close
analysis as during the last year, and
never have the claims OF the system been
more firmly established on an unques-
tionable foundation. Many disputed
points have been cleared mp.
One thing as to corn seems TO Be pref
" well settled, and that Is that it should
be allowed 20 stand q trifie longer before
cutting In the field. In the milk stage
is too soon. The dough stage, with now
and then an ear showing strong in,ients-
tion, Is better. The gain In food values
Is large, and there Is noticeable falling
of In water content, all In the dirction
OF better keeping and sweeter silage,
that IL, less development Of lscti,, and
almost total absence of acetic acid. IL
Is found that with the lower content
OF water, II cut In half inch lengths, the
silsge packed and took on sufficient heat
10 expel the air and to kill of the germ
action. BY this slightly longer field
standing, there Is gain OF over half a
ton Of digestible food matter, aud !, loss
Of two tons OF moisture TO the acre, The
Pennsylvania station found that little
thicker seeding was slightly In tile di-
rectiou OF = larger nitrogenous element
In the fodder. The smaller varieties OF
Virginia corn seem 10 be the better va
riety for silsge, caring more profisely
than the giant kinds, still making n
great growth. They not only have =
larger sugar content, but mature Inpch
sooner.
The conduct" Of the silsge In the
pits has come In for much attention and
much OF It's perplexing ways Is found to
be the fault OF the silo Itself. The most
serious trouble found Is the entrance OF
air through the walls, not cracks, but
the lumber itself. That = silo IL well
and strongly built Is not enough. There
must be complete exclusion OF air
through the material OF the al Hing.
King. Of Wisconsin. found inst noes
where the loss was double in one 3 10 to
that In another, Just q result o. the
character OF the lumber. One Was more
porous than the other, and admitted air
enough In the one instance 10 Inc ease
the loss In dry matter from 10 III per
cent. In the silos where the walls were
absolutely Sirproof the loss was i.s In
tinifesimAl as per cent. StAve silos
have been found the least perfect, bad
joints and porous wood accounting for
L. IL wss found dark color VAS no
evidence that the .ilsTe hsd lost excess
lively In curing. Ga the ccntrary, sofne
q the brightcs; and best looking slAee
hSt lO.t the mOsf material. The rS1nt
silOs. With unbevelled stAyes. Ia tisny
Instances showed fNglty jainting. 80 that
some form % shallow mktchinx aud put
tag paiat ia The grooves woald inore
readily remedy shxi might prove
bad job IN unbevelled iointiHx. Tber~
sNs no evidence hrouxhs for~ar,i 60
show that trampiag silsge ~as % sny
sdyAntxge; euly fe~ losd. more G suld
- Tot Into = silo In given time. ,lags
can be oVertrsmped. 10 bghdiug single
celied siiO.. OF roand stA.e ooes, The ia-
gress % sir eaa - prscstcsiiy sverComs
by thoroaxh eatsi6e painttng sith SOME
% the pitch paint. pat on hot, So that
the paint would peastrsts tb- wooa a
coat q ree paint over this dark eOdy
paint will Improve the looks.
Bresdtas ~ coil sire fsneing, iiks the
Page. seen % - the o~st hoop vet used.
Pst On Ia fall s0-lnch hresdths. brought
together AZ the ends by bolfad CLAMPS,
the tortion of the wires l. constantly
hUg xing me slaves. and when empty ths
lilo cannot dry cut so "a 10 show lSose
staycs. For Sp-foot high silo Of four
teen feet diameter II would oely need
thirteen rods OF 81 cents to the rod t.nce
20 pot on the fve needed hoops Sotne
are arguing that round silo lined up
xith the cheap vitrlfed paving brick
laid ia best cement is the best silo that
NNl 90 VAbtA- ~ 49, "
single line the silo, and when little In
clined % need repair 20 cover the inside
with rosin paper, and line up all over
with three-qusrter inch stuff and thus
have new silo. 10 seems clearly prov
ed that freezing silsge when no oxygen
Of the air is present-ss there is not be-
low the surfsce-does not ipjure the
feeding qualities Of silsge, ana In any
event there Is less loss IN the reezing OF
silSge than In corn fodder with Its still
10 per cent Of moisture, and atmospheric
combustion going on all the time. No
form of covering has proved better than
no cover at all. Tramp the surface, and
sprinkle over il barrel OF water to
hasten mould, and the cover Is quickly
complete, and of the best. The with
drSwsl Of all restrictions save that the
silsge shall be OF good quality II fei TO
the cows by the condeussries and bot
tiers was great gain for the silo men,
and showed how unjust the prohibition
Of silsge feeding had been on the part OF
the milk buyers. Build silos, but make
the walls sirtight in some way.-New
sn-tA