The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1913-10-24
The Storing Advantage of the SilO.

One of the principal advantages of
me sllO is the ease, cheapness and
cCUlalnty of storing away feed crop
at it's highest feed value. As farmers
we have not thought enough on that
point nor rightly estimated how big
an advantage it is. Just think of
what 1t means to the farmer when he
can, by this means, store away the
biggest part of his winters roughage
in perfect feeding condition and no
care had whether the weather be wet
or dry.
Mr.. Alton M. Worden of Tullahoma,
Tenn, writing to the Progressive
Farmer on this point, says:
Among the great advantages of the
silo are saving the feed perfectly in
very wet seasons. | have had three
fourths of my crop to spoil in the field
by rOtting in the shock. The silo will
save perfectly corn, clover, peas, soy
beans, alfalfa, or sorghum. No mat
ter how heavy the crop or rainy the
season, they can be cut in the rain
or put up between showers and kept
perfectly. Five times as much feed
can be stored in the same space and
be better kept Do not put in any
hollow stalk plants as oats, rye or
wheat in the silO. They will not keep
we'll.
In the silo the whole crop is stored
safe from the rats, mice, squirrels,
weevils, birds or stock, also from
damage by storms.
1T is much more cheaply harvested
than by the usual methods. We figure
our cost from so to IS cents per ton
for harvesting, cutting and packing
the crop into the silo.
A great advantage is, the entire
crop is taken off from the land clean
and clear early in the season and the
land left ready for cover crops No
waiting for the corn to cure out, or
drilling around the shocks. We al
ways put on cover crops, on all land
under the pillow, leaving nothing open
for winter winds and rains to blow
or wash away.
All crops for silage should be fully
matured but not dry. Immature,
green crops make sour, thin silage.
Dry corn makes good feed if put up
with plenty of water. There is no
danger of too much water on it; if in
doubt, add more water.
The silo is the only way to save
frosted corn and get it's full value
Cut it and rush it into the silo at
once.
Silage makes more and better meat,
better milk and calves than any other
method of feeding.
Stock grows in winter as we'll as
in summer if well cared for.
1t is easy to guage the rations ac-
curately.
1t is a durable and cheap storage.
A concrete silo is fireproof and not
very expensive.
Stock fed ensilage is more healthy.
One farmer writes, I'VE do not have
one sick animal where we used to
have ten or more
1t makes far more and better ma
nure. The cobs and stalks are all
eaten and digested. Full values are
recovered from the whole plant both
as a feed and fertilizer.
Corn cObs are very rich in potash,
and when dried hard are very slow to
rot, thus losing the entire value as
a feed and tying up for years, maybe,
the fertilizer value, robbing the soil
to that extent.
The man who feeds ten head with
out a silo for year loses the cost of
the silo, and still has none.
Thousands of farmers and scientists
add their testimony and proclaim pos
itively that the silo pays for itself in
one year, that it doubles or even
quadruples the value of the feed crop.
An acre of good silage will keep a
cow or steer one year.
Corn and soybeans, mixed half and
half, make a we'll balanced ration
one of the best we ever fed, making
June butter in January. 1t is far
superior and at half the cost of cot
tonseed feeds. 1t is a regular savings
bank in dry falls and cold, wet springs
when pastures are poOr.-Hoards
Dairyman.