The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-08-26
S|LO OF CORN
INF Of BEST.
FARM ASSETS
Good Silage Demands Care
in Cutting and Storing
When Lower Leaves Begin
to Turn.

Farmers who are lucky enough 10
avn silos will soon be busily engaged
filling them. A silo filled with gooo'
sweet ensilage is one OF the pest as
sets a farmer can have, but ensiiase
poorly stored is not only worthless DIS
q feed but an indication of lax meth
DDS.
The storing of ensilagc and It's Value
as winter feed has long since passeo
the experimental stage, ana tneIe 10
little cause for having poor slage'
Preparation should be made to De
ready to fill when the corn is at the
proper stage.
The best silage is made when the
corn is just beginning to dent, and
the lower leaves beginning to turn. AL
this stage the feed is more nutritious
than at any other time. 1t is better
to cut the corn for ensilage too ripe
than too green, as the green corn is
more likely to make acid sllage'
Best for Feeders.
For feeding beef cattle silage made
from ripper corn can be used to better
advantage than for dairy cattle. The
green corn contains more moisture,
and being more succulent gives bet
ter results when fed to dairy COWS.
If for any reason the corn gets too
ripe to make the best silage before 1t
can be put in the silO it can be water
ed and will still make good feed. The
most convenient way to accomplish
this is to introduce hose into the
blower drum of the cutter, and keep
small stream of water flowing into the
blower while the corn is being cut.
Where water pressure is not available
this difficulty can be overcome by ele-
waiting a barrel or tank from which
the water can flow as needed.
1t is better to fill the silO slowly, and
tramp it thoroughly while filling, than
to fill rapidly with large machine.
In a silo of average diameter the large
machines will throw the corn faster
than any number of men can tramp it
satisfactorily The tramping is of the
utmost importance, and the owner is
not justified in putting his poorest
men or boys in to do the job. Tramp
ing silage is hard work, and cheap
labor. which is usually poor labor, will
be mighty apt to shirk the job.
Cut in Short Lengths.
The proper length to cut the corn
has been subject for much contro-
versy, but in the opinion of the ma
jority of feeders, that which is cut in
the shorter lengths gives the most
satisfaction because it packs more
closely.
If possible it is a good plan to fill
the silo about half full and let it
stand over night. Even when thor
ouGhly tramped it will often settle sew
eral feet. and more corn can be put
in than if the whole amount was put
in at once. Where the farmer owns
his own machine. and is not in a
hurry to move on to another lob
more corn can be put in a day or two
after the first filling
At filling time the farmer who does
not have a roof on his silo has the
advantage of being able to erect some
sort of temporary structure on top OF
his silo, whereby he is enabled tc
pile up several feet of ensilage that
will eventually settle down and leave
him sio full to the top Wire fenc
ing, or strip of canvas can be useC
In this way to good advantage.
Some Will Spoil.
There will always be some silagt
spoiled on top, where it necessaril,
comes in contact with the air. Various
methods have been tried to cut dowr
the loss Of feed. with more or less
success. 1t should be remembered
however, that the value of the silagt
is not great, as rule, and there i.
danger of the time and material uset
in an effort to cut down the loss costin.
more than the feed is worth. A pla1
that has met with considerable sue
cess is to spread a layer of oats sew
eral inches thick over the top of tn,
Sila2p The moisture ariSipc FROM, VI,
silage is sufficient to sprout the oats
forming a thick. almost alright ma
Of roots over the surface The eff
cheney of this method will be governe,
by the difference in value of the oat
used and silage that might have beer
spoiled.