The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1913-08-28
(By n. q. RUSHINGD

Am | doing as well with my COWS
as ought? Am producing milk as
economically as / might? Is it pos
sible, with such feed as silase. my
COWS may be kept in more healthful
condition, because this feed having in
1t the natural juices makes 1t more
easily digested and COW is able TO
do more and better work?
Many farmers who have recently
built silos and many who did not build
are asking themselves the above ques-
lions, and wei! they may. Those who
have built and have good silage are
now getting their eyes opened. and
those that have no silos are now be-
ginning to see "the handwriting on
the wall"
A natural feed of this character
which has the natural juices all re-
tanned In it keeps the digestive organs
of the animal in a cool, laxative condi-
ton and permits us to feed more
heavily of other feeds, and thus, we
are able to increase her capacity for
producing milk in a far greater degree
Experience has taught me many
things about the silo. When | put up
my first one was taught that almost
anything would do for silo. and that
almost anything could be put in it.
The first year / planted late-matur-
ing corn that grew and grew as though
it had all the time in the world to get
ripe in, and when the time came for
the silo filling 1t was scarcely in good
roasting ear condition.
What was the result? A watery lot
of stuff In a very acid condition that
had to be fed in very limited way
to keep the COWS from securing and
getting off feed. This was certainly
discouraging; but a man who makes a
success with cows must have grit
enough TO meet discouragements.
| found out that year that to have
good silage | must plant a kind of
corn that would mature early and get
it out In time so that 1t could mature
that / had better sacrifice some on
quantity and have better quality. From
that year the silo has been filled with
the same kind of corn that was raised
for field purposes, and there has never
yet been a single failure.
There Is no secret having good,
sweet silage--.just plain, common sense.
First the silo must be made in such
way as TO exclude all the air. Then
TOO. the foundation must be good, to
prevent settling and cracking. The
material used may be either wood.
stone, brick or cement. Iron or steel
cannot be used, as the moisture and
acid in the silage would soon rust
through.
All stone. cement, brick silos, etc.
must be reinforced with wire or rods
to insure strength. A wood silo made
rough is, Of course, strengthened by
the hoops. and that is the only kind
that would be built of wood
The size Of the silo, Of course, de-
pend on the amount of stock you wish
to carry. as certain amount must be
fed each day to keep the top layer
from spelling. and the deeper the bet
ter, as each added foot gives added
weight to the silage and helps to make
it more solid and exclude the air.
If silo Is made too largo in diane
ter, and this believe to b. a very fire.
quent error, one of two things will
happen-either the silage will be
moldy all the time. owing to the inabil-
ity to feed 1t down rapidly enough, or
else the cows will be fed more than
they should have, in an attempt to
keep ahead OF the molding.
| strongly favor the use of good
silage in summer to hold the COWS to
their work and not allow them to shirk
In the milk flow during the short pas
ture OF July and August. think many
COWS may be made to add % per cent.
to their years production by tiding
them over this period. | have tried
soi!ing. but never found anything SO
cheap, SO good and 80 convenient as
a well filled silo. A few feet in the
bottom OF a deep silo will go long
way for summer use and there the
conditions are most favorable for the
preserving OF the silage, as the enor
nous weight of the sllage In deep
silo has compacted 1t, and Its being
down near the bottom away from the
circulation OF the air helps very mate
rally in It's preservation.
The quality of the sllage may be
materially bettered by using care in
taking,i it out. Don't put the fork down
Ave or six inches deep. as though you
we're pitching manure, but use fork
with tines close together and skim off
the top, only loosening what you need
for the days feeding.
Keep the surface level, and perhaps
a little lower near the outer walls.
Silage cannot be handled AZ careless.