The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-07-23
Build A Pit Silo

Dawson County farmers planted
between twenty and thirty thous-
and acres of corn this spring.
Weather conditions all over the
United States this year have been
very unfavorable for corn, and
Dawson County is no exception.
A great many farmers, encour-
aged by the ideal corn weather ef
| last Season, planted a great many
acres Of the larger growing var
ieties, which will probably fall far
Fshort of maturity. The adapted
corns, which are in the majority,
will mature under the favorable
weather conditions that can reas-
onably be expected. A cold July
and August will leave the greater
per centage Of ffie later varieties
a long way short Of maturity, and
the greater portion Of the crop
will be largely lost unless put in
TO The silo, orscut as fodder.
This fodder, being green and
full of sap will not cure out in the
field, and is stacked at great ex-
pense with straw between the
layers of bundles, in order to keep
it fl ON molding and spelling. If
it is shocked and left in the field,
better than Fifty per cent of its
value is weathered away
and lost. If shocked and then
stacked better than 35' percent of
its feeding value is lost.
Net more than forty percent of
the feeding value of our Montana
corn is lin the ear. Montana corn,
with its leafy system OF growth, is
a dual purpose crop, furnishing
both grain and hay, making it Wit
ally important that the fodder be.
saved.
More than ninety per cent of
the corn crop is saved if it lis put
in the silo. This means a sewing
Of from 25 to As per cent of the
corn crop, depending onsIocaf con-
ditions.
On a great many Of the Dawson
County farms, an upright silo will
pay for itself this year. An up
right 'silo will cost from $3.50 to-
$500 depending on size and type
pf construction.
For the averageDawson County
farmer, however, sthespit silois the
best, for it is Far cheaper, and is.
Sedgaily as satisfactory, if lit is
equipped with the proper feeding
and hosting ,deaises. a pit .silo.
big enough to feed twenty cows
for a period of 200 days can be
built for an actual cash outlay Of
from $40 to $65 depending on
size and local conditions.
The Majority of the experiment
sfa4ions ff1roucbnut the United
States have proved thatimmsture
corn, pound, for pound i made in
TO silage IS ssWorth, more than if it
had been cat and fed ss.sstover.
This does not take into Consider
alton the fact nearly fifty percent
ofthe feeding value of the corn is
losi when it is handled in the
field as stover. !, 8, aver =.
Another argument in favor OF
thepit silo lies IN the fact that it
takes much less power to place.
the ensaage in the, pit -silo than il
does in the upright silo. SINCE al
silage cutler with 9 blower is not
necessary for the pit silo, at Least
$100 cam be saved in the purchase
price. unsatisfactory ten.to fouH !
feensinth cutter can be. bought
rom $4O to $65 laid down in Daw-
son County depending on Size and
quality. Since every neighbor-
hold has a gasoline engine init Of
from Six to ten horse power, the
price Of the cutter1s not, prohibi-
tive especially since from two to |
ten Farmers Can buy 1one sand |
ppefate it. -operatively.
George E. Piper, Il
Dawson County Agriculturist T
IL