The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1912-02-02
Slo Construction
. Urged. I. By. N Merrill / !
Federal Expert Gives a Lot Of Yal-
4 uable Information Abodt Build
Ing and Filling Silos

I dresses at the Tri-State Grain
Growers and Corn Raisers' con.
. yention was delivered in the Fargo
opera house last week By Fred W
] Merrill, representative Of the dairy
division Of the United States de-
partment of agriculture. His sub
iject was '.Construction of Silos and
Feeding Of Silage.'' Mr.. Merrill
said:
There are several conditions in
North Dakota that make silo one
of the prime necessities.
@lst, The long winter season
when cattle, have 10 be fed. AMI
mails demand a variety Of feeds
and especially do they require
feeds with some succulenca to off.
set the large amounts of hay and
fodder. Silage is the ideal food to
provide this succulence.
..2nd. In the summer months
when drought comes and pastures
are Drowned, the silo comes to the
farmers relief. His cattle do not
fail to make profits because silage
supplants the green grass.
's3rd. The pasture grasses of
North Dakota are not varied
enough, nor are the pastures pro-
fitable. The summer silo wilt
: prove to be far more economical
than. large areas Of valuable land
devoted to pasture.
18th. ''The more crops the
more animals; the more animals
the more manure; the more man.
ure the more plants This is the
farmers slogan III North Dakota.
'Hence the silo and profitable
live stock.
18th. The corn crop is taking
a prominent place among the
farmers animal productions. The
silo is cheap, suitable building
for housing the corn crop.
:'lst. It affords a means Of pre-
serving large quantities Of sue
oulent, palatable food for winter
use, as we'll as for summer
use, in time of drought or scarcity
Of grass. Fl.
END. It furnishes the cheap
est, easiest and safest means of
handling corn and other roughage,
such as clover and alfalfa.
''33rd Because Of the increased
amount Of food that. can be stored,
the number Of cattle has in many
cases been doubled. Doubling the
stock gives increased opportunities
for winter work, large returns.
more manure and hense increased
fertility to the soil.
. 1T should be mir tight. If air
finds access to the ensilage it Is
bound TO spoil. The silo should
\
have been the greatest practicable
depth, with minimum surface
! exposed on top. This will give
less waste om,,s ii top from exposure.
"a. (2) The largest amount of
feed per onbie foot can ~ stored
and (3, ihe lateral pressure is 60
great that air Is exclude "a from the
ass. ": u, 81. y .5a,s55.ss Isss 81 .
These Az, important lpoints.
s fss Farmers do not want to build q
silo every ten 81 twelve years. nor
5 they want - spend mnchs time
keeping ssiilo a. r. repair. A silo
then should be constructed that
win stand the tut % time, wind
\ md fire. A poor silo u dear at
nv "a price y The Sdurabl ~ silo that
I'D stand for year. y j. tbs 1chaap.
Ut sIiio. "a / silos nave been
sbuilt s'yIery year y, 4 d D ysood, stoneI
gbriok sand conorete 4 II N 8 Il ths|
iind n NO. atsrial for each; farmer
u ~ flsp ends npons i nunbe 81 IA
B, 8 e, icps: I s.|3.sS
~ avail ilits different
H. n of s1at tsFia ~ M I. N NJ
Irlt cost 81 \ !! !. Il scting ,i i6f
I' 's