Mexico weekly ledger., 1915-09-16
.Fl YOUR SILO PROP
ERLT IS MOST NECESSARY
J. G. wstssn. Expert Tells Just When
and Hsw 10 Prepare Sflass and
FIJI TsuE silo-

Tse following Suggestions eoncern-
ffng sIos and silagg are taken from a
bunstin psbHzhed by tie Agriculture
Exsenzien Service and written b. J.
G. Watson. an expert
Time to Harsest-Cern, for sii1ge,
should be in the szEns stage q matur-
ity a. when harvested for fodder; that
Is. ths kernels should be dented. IL the
dough stage. and the lower leaves of
ths stalk turning brown. Ths nearer
the cern Is 70 maturity ths Q val
liable for silsge. provided there Is
lenoukh moisture 10 make the silage
fermesi propsriy. II possible the corn
shouh not be allowed % become dry
before being put into The sllo because
dry earn viii not pack properly with
eus using large amounts Of water, and
~nnless 1t Is thoroughly packed the sill
age viii mould.
Leagth % cut-Tbsre is sOme dh-
ference Of opinion as 70 the best
length for cutting corn for silage-
The longer the cut, the more rapidly
the corn can be run through the cut
Ter and the less the cost Of filing.
The larger pieces DO not pack 80 well
and there Is more waste in feeding
Everything considered. the one-half
or three-quarter inch cut viii prove
most satisfactory.
Packing the Silage-As. the cut
Ieorn comes from the blower it usually
falls IN one particular spot in the silo
and the stalks and leaves are not
evenly distributed unless a distribu-
tor is used. There II many distrib-
utors on the market that do efficient
work. Proper packing Of the silage Is
very essential and enough men must
be placed in the silo to do this work
well. The sides should be kept a little
higher than the center and the silage
packed firmly around the walls. When
near the end Of filling, the center
should be kept somewhat higher than
the sides. Perhaps the best method Of
packing is to use concrete hampers.
Where slow filing is praetieef, the
silage can be packed more efficiently
and by allowing it to settle. more sill
age can be stored away.
Adding Water-Cut In proper sea-
son there is enough moisture in the
corn crop to make god silage, but If
the crop has become too dry before It
Is put into the silo, water must be
added. II corn is caught by early
frost il should be cut before it has
time to dry out, otherwise water win
have to be added. The water may be
added when necessary either directly
into the silo or by running II into the
blower MS the corr Is cut. In case Of
filing the siio with fodder later In the
season or after il has onee been filed,
II is always necessary 10 add water in
large quantities. tSce Circular III.
Missouri Agricultural Experiment
Station.)
Covering the Silage.--There is al
ways some loss on the top Of the sill
age unless feeding is begun as the
silo is filed. Where the silage IL to
stand for some time before feeding, it
is customary to run in three or four
loads Of cornstaIks from which the
ears have been removed. This ma
terial IS packed thoroughly; then a
liberal supply Of water isadded which
viii help to seal the silo and only a
very small amount of waste will re-
suit Some farmers use cat straw as
a covering; others soak the top Of the
silage with water and SOW oats which,
when they terminate, form a dense
mass which shuts out the air and
keeps the silage from spelling.
Cost Of Silo Filling-No definite
cost a be given for silo filling as it
depends on many variable factors,
such as the distance from field to silo;
weather conditions, it being more ex-
pensive during wet weather than clear
weather; the efficiency Of the rnachin-
cry and of the men. The cost has
been estimated as low as 40 cents,and
as high as s1.00 per ton. Seventy-fve
cents would probably be a fair aver
age.
When to Feed.-The corn may be
fed Immediately after filing, but for a
few days it viii be in the form of
cut corn until it has gone through the
heating and fernenting process. 1t
takes several days for silage to de-
velop from the green corn. BY begin
ing to feed Immediately after filling
practically no waste occurs When
the feeding is delayed for some time 1t
Is always necessary to remove the
spoiled silage from the top. In re-
moving It, are should be taken that
it is not put where farm ANIMALS can
get It o. trouble may result.
Il
nur q -