The Delta independent., 1914-12-25


flow of milk when fed to dairy stock,
and is much better feed at less cost
than any other yet found.
Corn for silage should be cut when
the husks are turned and the kernels
all glazed; If cut too early it is in
clined to be watery. Shocked corn is
often used. but plenty of water must
be used SO 1t will pack and not mould.
Silage spoils in two ways, by rotting
account OF admission of air, and white
mould caused by lack of moisture.
| Figuring rent of land. plowing. seed
planting. cultivating. etc. it costs TIC
to grow one ton Of silage and 74c to
put 1t into the silo, making a total of
50 per ton is a safe estimate.
Blue grass pasture being figured
as the best and finest feed in the
world. let US compare 1t by chemical
analysis with silage.
According to figures already given,
100 ton silo would mean a saving
OF $500, and 200 ton silo a saving
of 81 900 in feed values; to say moth
ing Of the saving OF labor and i'm
proved condition of all our stock. for
we all know there are a number OF
knot heads on the average farm in the
way of stunted colts, calves, pigs,
lambs, and all because we cannot af
ford to feed two cent grains and ten
dollar hay. but the silo furnishes
ration par excellence for less than
50 per ton. and instead Of these knot
heads almost valueless. We would
have sleek. well conditioned stock
all through.
Our land is no longer SO per are
land. but is valued at not less than
800 and We can not afford to grow
feed on this priced land. feed 1t to
stock all winter and have them come
out in the spring no heavier, and in
many instances lighter. than they
were In the fall.
Animals on our farms are just so
many factories, and 1t is a well estab-
lished business fact that any factory
TO produce the largest dividends must
run 10 its fullest capacity. provided,
the cost of raw material is not too
high and the silo has placed the cheap
est and pest of feed at our command.
| The price of feed of all kinds for
the past fifteen years has advanced
to far greater extent than the price
of meat and dairy products; but by
feeding sliage as large part of the
ration ii is possible to duplicate the
cheap feed of the past and secure the
hieh prices of the present
| Corn stalks in the field are worth
fifty cents per acre. but when put into
the silo are worth sl4.0o per acre, and
II costs no more to do this than to
handle them in the old wasteful way.
II you had a silo on your farm filled
with silage you could borrow money
from your banker for the purpose of
purchasing stock to feed it to. the
same as you could on wheat in the bin,
but what could you borrow on your
corn stalks in the field?
Thousands of men have made money
growing corn and the more I think of
II, the more am convinced that 1t is
the only business in the world in which
a man can throw away fifty per cent
of his stock in trade and still do well.
One acre of good land will produce
twelve tons of corn silage. this with
little hay will feed two milk COWS.
twelve months: If good cows they
will produce $50 to 225 dollars
worth of cream, beside two calves and
skinned milk for pigs and chickens.
or it will with some hay put 24a0
pounds on fifty lambs in 1875 days,
pounds each: or feeding four steers
15S days will fit them to top the mar-
ket and increase their value S17a 90:
in addition to this you get the coli
tents of your feed lot. which is the
best manure there is. and w'eh the silo
you get four to five times as mt IN
manure. as you are enabled to Keep
that many more COWS. and this shonld
by all means be returned 70 the acre
that grew the corn, to make more
silage, thereby increasing its fertility,
enabling you to grow more corn, to
make more silage. to grow more meat
to make more dollars and when you
consider II costs only $4,000 to pro-
duce this twelve tons of silage you
get some idea of what business tran
saction it is. Silage is not a complete
ration in itself. 1t contains the carbo
hydrates, which go to the making of
fat blood and milk con seouentlv we