The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-01-08

and B. NJ. Gle, high scnool agri-
culturist yesterday.
Mr.. Gile was the principal speak
err of the meeting, considered one
OF the most successful held by any
of the farmers clubs this winter,
and he devoted his time to explain
ing the proper methods of keeping
up a silo.
Fifty-three Present.
/ Fiftythree were present at the
meeting. They were as follows:
Mrs. Skogland and family, Mrs.
Ora Whiting and family, Delbert
Whiting and family, Guy Anderson
and family, Freeman Anderson and
family, Mrs. Lucy Williams and fam
lily, Mrs. Birch Whiting and family,
Mrs. John Noel and family, Frank
Anderson and family, C. Wilcox and
family, Mrs. Grover and family and
Miss Serena Blue E....... --E
Mr.. Gle said in part: I'm the
past 80 years silage has become very
popular in all the dairy regions of
the United States. The more highly
developed the dairy section, the
greater the number of silos. Where
silage is made the basis Of the ra-
ton, it intensifes farming because
more stock can be kept on given
area. More feed can be stored in
a given space in the form of silage
than in the form of fodder or hay.
Corn silage is more efficient feed
than corn fodder.
What to Use .
ANY green crop could be made
into silage if sufficient care be taken
to force out the air. It is very diff
! ticult to force the air out Of such
hollow stemmed feeds as oats, barley
and timothy and hence they are
rarely used. Corn is the best and
most popular silage crop because it
will produce more food material %
the acre than any other crop. It IS
easily harvested and put into the si-
10 and makes the best quality of sill
age. Sorghum makes a very acid or
sour silage and the clovers, alfalfa,
etc., are liable to rot because of the
difficulty of expelling the air. There
is only one objection to corn silage
and that is that it contains insuffi-
cient protein to fully meet the de-
mands of the dairy COW. This could
be corrected by mixing alfalfa or
clover silage with corn silage. This
is not advisable for the reason that
they are worth more fed as we'll
cured hay in combination with sill
Iage. ..
| Careful of Grade
"The corn to raise for silage is the
corn that will produce the largest
amount of mature ears in our local
ity. This is true because 60 per cent
of the digestible food materials pre-
sent in the corn plant are found in
/ the ear and 81 per cent in the stalk
and leaves. l...-.. .-.- -..
i "Nubs should to kept out of corn
for they will impair the quality Of
the silage. A so bushel corn crop will
produce 8 to II tons Of silage. The
crop should. be cut for silage when
the ears become glazed and the bot
fop lao },,r
| "The average cost of silage includ-
ing raising and putting into the silo
is from to dollars per ton.
i 'The silage is usually cut from one
half to an inch long. The shorter
it is the better it packs and the bet
i ter it will be cleaned up.
i Should Add Water
af the corn is frozen or over ripe
water should be added at the time
of ensiling. The sides Of the silo
should be kept packed higher than
| the center. Because of the low con-
tent of protein silage does not form
la balanced ration for diary COW.
For a cow weighing 1000 pounds
and yielding 40 lbs Of milk testing
i 3.5 per cent the following is abo1t
fright.
! Silage 40 pounds per day.
i Glover. cowpeas or alfalfa 10
pounds perday.
i Grain 10 pounds per day
/ This should be remembered, that
Isilage is absolutely the cheapest
dairy feed and the most profitable
|way of handling the corn crop. 1t
makes winter dairying profitable
while dairy products are high and
farm work is not rushing