The Monticellonian. [volume] (Monticello, Ark.) 1870-1920, 1917-03-15

lures are resting. has been tested so often that
nearly every successful farmer has constructed one
or more of them.
The pit silo is only ahon tbree wears old and has
been in extensive for only two wears It is not
new thing, but 1t is new in the Southwest where
1t is more valuable than in any other farming re-
Gion in the United States. A few slos have been
in use in Iowa, in Illinois, and even in Mississippi
for number of years. but their use In these re-
gions has not spread.
so is water-tight structure into which
and other fodder packed while green so tightly
that no space is left for air, and with enough mois
ture to insure fermentation. The material is gen
orally cut into strips not more than inch or two
in length. In the winter after the fermentation
and curing process have been completed, the siio
is opened and the mash is fed to live stock 1t
is as palatable and neurishng green fodder
and exhaustive and longcontnued experiments
have proved that beef cattle, milch cows, hogs
horses, mules, and sheep thrive it. The process
preserves about 90 per cent of the food values of
the green fodder If the fodder is left in stacks
shocks II loses fully one-haf of the food value
through the drying-out process
In the Southwest last winter and spring the own
ers of pit silos learned that the immature and hot
wind Nlred-out fodder crops, which would have
been practically worthless dry food, made very
good food when converted into ensilage in the pit
sos One illustration will prove its value In this
regard
]. G. Michael is farmer in the Lincoln district
of Ell Paso county, in eastern Colorado. In August
1918 when 1t was apparent that the drought and
hot winds had already made 1t impossible to secure
n crop Michael, assisted by two men working at
odd times built 35ton pit so. The cash outlay
was only 81 40 Into this hole in the ground Michael
hacked the corn from ten acres, the best of which
would not yield more than ten bushels per acre.
The corn was immature, and there was no chance
for It to improve If harvested and stacked for use
as fodder in dry form 1t would nave peeh worth
cnlv a few dollars per acre.
all Michael
ensflace to 10 mileh and - hefers, 20 pounds
o dav per head for the and five pounds for
,be baifers No grain was fed, but the cattle were
given little millet and oat straw for roughage
Tba entire herd kept in good condition, and the
ron COWS provided Mr.. Michael with ten dollars
worth of cream every week
The nit sos in the Southwest generally moth
inc more than holes in the ground lined with ce-
nent of varying thickness. Some of them are con-
structed with a heavy concrete collar TO prevent
the ground cavng in and to Keep out the moisture
some of them have concrete extension above the
surface of the ground. There are all sorts and
sizes and all shapes and kinds of construction for
the nit siIo is still such new farm device that II
10 not haen standardized The cost ranges from
81. As cash outlay of Mr.. Michael TO Sl9o Tor the
1aroer ones with an inch cement lining and heavy
noncrete collars extending deep into the ground
~, ahovo- oround extensions. The average cost of
80 hundreds that have been built ranges between
SIS and $50.
A number of interesting methods have been
brought into use to make the most OF TINS new form
of silo Two brothers. Ray and Fay Harner VINO
live near Colby in western Kansas have dlscoV-
ered q method by which they can dig 3O-foot mole
for q nit silo in about two days. They contract to
dig pit silos 10 feet in diameter and 80 feet deep