The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1915-09-17
AN INTERESTING LET
TER ON THE SILO

In Ada county farmers last year
erected "a silos. This year about
double that number are being erected.
In Canyon county about the sam
number were erected last year and as
many are being built this year. In
Twin Falls county many have been
built. The Weiser and Emmett sec
tions now also boast OF having sever
al. Throughout the state of Idaho a
tremendous interest is being shown.
Fields of corn. the equal Of anything
you left back in Kansas, now are seen
in Idaho where a few years ago people
hooted at the idea. Why?
Ed. Howe of Potato HILL famous
through his quips and quibs in the
Aechison Globe once said, The silo
is the best improvement to rura
scenery any section could make" OW
farmers are finding this true as evil
denced by the rapid increase In silos
the last two years.
Why? The silo is not get ricn
quick proposition, nor should every
farmer have a silo. But here in Ida
no we are rapidly finding out that the
farmer who practices diversified live
stock farming is coming out on top,
Understand, diversified live stock
farming. well balanced with some
seed, sugar beets, seed grain and the
like. Diversified, not balanced, where
the number of animals of cash kind
kept, bears a definite relation to the
amount of feed grown, the size of
farm. the utilization of pasture, cheap
feeds and farm by-products. We have
had too much Of the kind Of farming
that Is unbalanced. where a farmer
goes all for hogs or dairy cows. or
sheep.
To come back to the silo farmers
who have a herd OF dairy cows with
few sheep to feed or some young cat
tie stock, have found silage a most
excellent winter feed. They have
found that 1t gives the animals some
thing alfalfa lacks. makes for a ball
anced ration and thus promotes the
most rapid economical production of
meat and butter fat. Silage. too. gives
succulence and that is an asset in the
winter months where only alfalfa has
prevailed before. For the milk flow
silage is the winter feed. par excell-
ence. replaces our excellent summer
pasturage. keeping the COW in good
health and vigor and enabling her to
keep up as large milk flow as when
she first came fresh on June pasture.
Every farmer who has a silo is
booster for it. 1t makes feeding easier
and brings him more milk when but
ter fat is highest in price. Ask the
man who owns one. 1 have yet to find
a man who has managed his silage
livestock right who is disappointed.
A few injunctions? Yes. 1t hardly
pays to have silo where less than
clSnl OI tcn COWS arc iiiihCA. L HS
sizes must have relation to the number
of animals to be fed. For sheep. cattle
and dairy cows silage is fine feed
For other kinds of farm animals 1t
cannot yet be recommended general
ly In this climate only the most dur
able types of silos should be built,
preferably Of concrete. OF the wooden
silos the modified Wisconsin silo is
probably more durable and cheaper
than the stave. Farmers bulletins
Nos. 57s and 5Ss give splendid infor
nation on silage and silo building.
Corn is the best crop for silage as
has been said. We need this to bal
ance our alfalfa. The latter makes
very poor silage because it will not
keep we'll So. in sections where corn
cannot be grown oats and peas or fall
wheat and vetch are grown for silage
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