The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1914-03-27
BUILD YOUR S|LO
THIS YEAR SURE
coTTRELL MAKES ANOTHER AP-
PEAL TO FARMERS TO RAISE
LIVE STOCK.
COUNTRY is VERY SHORT or BEEF
More siIos Means Bigger Profits and
at the Same Time VIII Lower
Price of Beef to the
Consumer
(By H. M. Cottrell.)

This country is short of beef There
was barely an adequate supply six
years ago. There are fifteen and a
half million less beef cattle in the
United States now than there were six
years ago, and there has been a
marked increase in population. We
do not have enough beef to go around
and as consequence the price is abb
normally high. Stockmen decreased
their beef herds because with the
usual feed stuffs there was more money
in selling their crops than in feeding
them.
In the past two years a few beef
producers in most of the feeding COM
munities of the west have been testing
silage as a part of the growing and
fattening rations and have found that
it reduces by one-half the amount of
grain required in fattening animals,
shortens the fattening period and i'm
proves the quality of the beer. They
also found that silage materially lessen
ed the cost of feeding growing ami
mails, fastened their maturity and
greatly increased the cattle carrying
capacity of the farms. The general
use Of silage by the cattle growers of
the west will enable feeders to raise
and fatten at profit much larger
number of beef cattle while at the
same time supplying beef more cheap
ly to the consumer. Silage means sal.
walton to both the beef maker and the
beef eater.
For years siIage from corn has been
the only kind that has given profitable
returns in feeding beef cattle. The
Kansas agricultural college, has Just
completed two years feeding tests that
demonstrate that siIage from kalir and
sorghum is pound for pound equal to
that from corn when the crops are
harvested at the right time. Stock
men have been cutting all three crops
at the same time. To make good silage
kafir and sorghum must be cut two or
three weeks later than corn, the cut
ting to be done when the seeds are
ripe, but while the stalks are full Of
sap.
This discovery shows the way
whereby the plains of the southwest
can become the beef producing center
of America. In eastern Colorado,
western Kansas, western Oklahoma,
the Panhandle and all of western
Texas either kafir or sorghum pro.
duces as great a tonnage per acre as
corn in the Mississippi valley and are
Just as sure crops. Milo, another sure
crop in dry land districts, will furnish
the grain to feed with the silage.
Every farmer in the southwest
should build silo this season and get
the profits from it. Most farmers
should build several silos. The silo is
adapted to every size of farm and
ranch and to every pocketbook. The
silo will be profitable to every farmer.
A. C. Tinsley, Seibert, Colorado, dug
round hole in ground 7 feet across
and Is feet deep. He made a silo by
plastering the earth walls with cement
that cost $685. Mr.. Tinsleys profits
from feeding the silage from this silo
were 800 more than when he fed the
same amount of feed dry. H. B. John
son, Chickasha, Oklahoma, spent $4,000
for six large wood silose He fed the
silage in these to 1850 steers that
were being fattened. He made s12,5O0
more on these steers than he did on
the same number fattened without
silage. BUILD A SILo THIS SEA
SON.