The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-07-12
The Evolution of the Silo,

proportions for the silo, and the pits
were made as wide as deep. They had
square corners, too, and the rule was to
sow the corn thickly SO that it made few
ears, and to cut this immature product
as rapidly as possible into the pits. tramp
it down as tight as possible, and when
full, to cover it with boards, and then
pile rocks on to give pressure. Pressure
was considered very important and many
were the screw contrivances invented for
the purpose of putting extra pressure on
it. All this great pressure on very green
corn resulted IN slower fermentation
and the production of very sour article,
the smell of which pervaded the entire
premises 1t was not to be wondered at
that the creameries and the condensed
milk factories refused to take the milk
impregnated with the sour doors of the
ensilage. Then, while it was easy to
cut the corn into the pits the getting of
it out was serious job. The first direc-
tions were to cut the mass down perpen-
dicularly in taking it out. / soon saw
that this would not do, for the leaving
of great wall of silage simply resulted
in tthe exyosed edges getting deeply
moulded, and l soon stopped this plan and
raked off a portion of the whole surface
daily, which was great improvement
Then | found that on taking off the
great mass of rocks and the board cover
| had black, sinking mass right at the
surface, which had to be removed /
argued that this must be wrong, and that
the tight cover, shutting down the hot
vapof from the silage, was responsible for
it. In the meantime we had gotten to
planting the corn thinner and making a
more matured product with an abundance
of ears, and / then determined to make a
radical change. So one season when my
corn was extra fine / cut it day ahead
of the machine and shocked it in the field
and hauled it to the cutter the following
day | went more leisurely about the
work and let the mass settle day be
fore cutting again, tramping only enough
to get it well into the corner. But the
radical change was IN leaving off the
board cover and the rocks, and simply
putting a layer of cut straw a foot deep.
over the top. That season / had my first
ensilage that could be called sweet as dis
tinguished from the rank, sour stuff we
had been making, and that was the last
of the board cover and the rock weights.
That same season a nelghbor, who had
built an expensive stone sllo, piled rocks
on it until he burst the silo wide open.
This same season / visited a large Short
horn breeding establishment in Southwest
Virginia, where | found that they were
putting up thousands of tons of silage in
simple wooden buildings made with tall
posts set in the ground, and l saw, too,
that they had far less loss from damaged
silage than / had in the cement pits, while
their silos did not cost a 1.-THE of what
mime did l found that the cold cement
walls under ground kept up a constant
condensation and there was invariably
loss alongside the walls. The firm /
visited too had cut off the corners OF
their square silos, and thus reduced the
amount of loss. On coming to North
Carolina / no longer was personally con-
cerned with silage making, having turn
ed my attention to horticultural matters.
But the College was making siiage, and
had square wooden silos IN the Station
barn. When the new barn on the Col
leg farm was built / was much interested
i'm the construction of the new silos. The
owner of a manufacturing establishment
had suggested the making of silos like
railroad water tank, but with per
pendicular sides, and they contemplated
making them and putting them on the
market. The College silos We're made of
staYes held together with iron hoops.
They were set on brick foundations had
roof and hood opening into the barn,
where the cutting machinery stood
Doors were made from bottom to top
for taking out the silage. These silos,
built. by students, have been a perfect
success, and were among the first of the
stave silos. The round silo is the final
evolution of silo construction so far as
shape is concerned, and American in
genulty has devised many notifications.
substituting built-up wooden hcops for the
iron ones, and cheapened the construc
ton till any one with a saw and hatchet
can make his own silo at a cost of less
than 81 for each ton capacity With
the extensively constructed pits | form
| erly used the difficulty was to get the
farmers to see that they could make en-
silage, for the cost of the pits scared them
off, and / had difficulty in persuading
| them that cheap wooden box above
ground was not only cheaper, but far
better than the costly pits under ground.
The final evolution comes with the find
| ing that even a roof is entirely needless,
ana THAT dill open luD VIII Keep TIC 5tldBC
| Just as we'll / think, however, that a
well ventilated roof is better. The corn
will make its own alright cover if
simply left alone, as the mould runs
through the tops and closes it up. But
| 1t is better to use some cheaper material
for cover, and in most places cut straw
is the best to be had. In the South, where
cottonseed hulls can be gotten cheaply
from the oil mills they make the best of
all covers for the slo. When the silage
has become sterilized by its own heat,
the cover of the cottonseed hulls and lint
Will prevent the access of germs of mould
fl ON the outside. In the biological lab
oratory it has long been known that no
germs can pass through cotton wool,
and i'll making pure cultures we always
stop the test tubes with a Wad of ster-
ilized cotton. The cover of six inches Of
cottonseed hulls on the silo perfectly pro
tects the silage, and on taking it off there
will not be found particle OF mould on
the silaga Where this material is aces
sble there is nothing equal to it. En-
silage making is no longer hurried mat
ter, for it is found that slower filling and
settling are better than so much tramp