Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1913-07-03

! ".' htH " 5OS hIC DSSt tSuliS ltOLQ
eHsilage during extreme cold weather
it should be fed inside a good shed or
barn. In mild weather we feed it out
doors and it is an ideal feed for spring
and summer, handled in that way it
is equally as good fed in a building
during the cold weather.
Clifford Bros, who rented our farm
and fed from two silos have moved on
Ito their W place during the past
winter. They were so well pleased
with their experience with silos that
they have put up on their own place
one of the largest, if not the largest,
silo in South Dakota. They are
practical feeders. attend to it them
selves and they tell me they will
never feed cattle without ensilage.
I'm the vicinity of Mitchell there
are a number of farmers who have
silqs they are using to feed dairy cat
tie. | have talked with nearly every
one of them and they are all we'll
pleased with it and a great many who
started in with one silo have put up
more, which is the best evidence that
they are paying.
We are encouraging farmers to in
vest in silos. / am, yours very truly,
WIN. M. Smith, President"
Corroborative evidence Is good so
/ wrote Clifford Bros, to see whether
they would tell the same story told
by Smith and l will read the reply:
Mitchell, S. D., June IL, 1913.-J.
W. ParmIey, Ipswich S. D.-Dear Sir:
In reply to your letter Of June 10Th
in regard to the silo, will say that
our experience has been very satisfac
tory. We have been using silage for
rough food for the past two years.
Last year we fed 430 tons. This year
we will use 500 tons. We use silage,
corn ana cotton seed meal for fatten-
ing cattle. This makes a balanced
ration.
I'VE figure that silage VIII reduce
the cost of fattening cattle at least
twenty per cent. Our experience is
that one acre Of corn put in the silo
is worth two acres outside. We feed
several hundred cattle a year and fin
ish them sc they must always bring
the extreme of the Chicago market.
"Silos should be filled when the
corn is in about the same condition
it should be when put in the shock.
Silage should be fed inside of warm
barns during extremely cold weather
SO it will not freeze. We always feed
it in spring and summer. We feed
cattle almost the year around and
have tried every kind Of feed, but
figure the silage has no equal. Yours
respectfully,
Clifford Bros
| call your attention to n thing
in this correspondence. Clifford Bros.
were renters-rented Smiths farm
had cattle and silos. Are not living
on rented farm now. Moved onto a
farm of their own. You see the con
nection. | remember a prominent
banker of South Dakota, giving me
advice. He said: "Parmley, if you
wan to keep your men, keep them
poor" The revised version would
read Keep thy men poor by trying to
raise wheat, lest through cows and
silos they prosper and leave thee
Professor G. c.. Humphrey of Wis
consin college of agriculture, from
your extended expert observation of
the silo please give me your unbiased
opinion in regard thereto.
"a silo is most valuable when used
for the storage Of corn hat is harvest
ed when the ears are nicely glazed
or the crop is ordinarily ready to be
put into the shock. Freshly cut clov-
er and alfalfa, and beet tops mixed
with corn fodder or clover may also
be stored in the silo to good advan-
tage.
THE loss of dry matter from corn
when shocked, husked and handled
in the usual manner ranges from. 81
to 55 per cent. Properly put into the
siIo the loss is only S to 16 per cent.
and the crop is preserved in a manner
to yield a uniform quality of feed as
long as it lasts, and comes the near
est to being a substitute for good
grass pasture of any other food.
IA silo on a dairy farm saves Is to
SO per cent Of the amount of hayi
otherwise required. 1t provides not
only a succulent feed for winter, but
the most palatable and convenient
feed with which to supplement or re-
place summer pastures that are short
or spoiled by drought"
j. T. Rundell of Parker, whom the
speaker knew as a leading stockman|
in Wisconsin, writes as follows:
Parker, S. D., June II, 1s13.A.
Parmley, Ipswich. S. D.-Dear Sir.
Our experience with the silo has been
very satisfactory. We have fed the
silage to milk cows. calves, stock cat
tie, sheep and horses. We have also
fed it to f~attening steers with alfalfa
and corn, with great success.
In the fall of 1911 we bought nine-l
teen head OF skinny calves and after
being fed silage through the winter,
came through looking fine and
growthy,
We have q stave silo. 165 tons ca-
pacity. Two of Jul neighbors have