Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 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 about three wears old and hos
oeen IN extensive use for only two years. It is not
ne" tning, but 1t Is new in the Southwest where
IL ~ more valuable than In any other farming re-
gon IN the United States few silos have been
In use In Iowa. in Illinois, and even in Mississinni
for number of years, but their use in these re-
gions has not spread.
A sllo Is Water-tfght 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 than an inch or two
In length In the winter, after the fermentation
and curing process have been completed, the silo
is opened and the "mash" is fed to live stock It
is as palatable and nourishing green fodder
and exhaustive and long-continued experiments
have proved that beef CATTLE mich cows, hogs
horses, mules and sheep thrive on it. The process
preserves about 80 per cent of the food values Of
the green fodder If the fodder is left in stacks
shocks It loses fully one-haf of the food value
through the drying-out process.
In the Southwest last winter and spring the own
of pit silos learned that the immature and hot
wind dried-out fodder crops which would have
been practically worthless dry food, made very
good food when converted into ensilage in the pit
silos. One illustration will prove its value in this
regard.
j. G. Michael is a farmer in the Lincoln district
of Ell Paso county, in eastern Colorado In August,
1913, when 1t apparent that the drought and
hot winds had already made 1t impossible to secure
a CROP Michael assisted by two men working at
odd times, built 35-ton pit silo The cash outlay
was only As Into this hole in the ground Michael
packed 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
as fodder in dry form 1t would have been worth
only few dollars per acre.
From late fall until spring Mr.. Michael fed the
ensage to 10 mich cows and IL heifers 20 pounds
a day per head for the cows and five pounds for
the heifers. No grain was fed but the cattle were
given q little millet and oat straw for roughage
The entire herd kept in good condition. and the
ten cows provided Mr.. Michael with ten dollars
worth Of cream every week.
The pit silos in the Southwest generally moth
ing more than holes in the ground lined with &C.
ment of varying thickness. Some of them con-
structed with heavy concrete collar to prevent
the ground caving 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 pit so is still such new farm device that 1t
has not been standardized. The cost ranges from
$4.45 cash outlay of Mr.. Michael, to $3.50 for the
larger ones, with inch cement lining and heavy
concrete collars extending deep into the ground
and above ground extensions. The average cost of
the hundreds that have been built ranges between
SIS and $40.
A number Of interesting methods have been
brought into to make the most of this new form
of slo. Two brothers, Ray and Fay Harner, who
live near Colby, In western Kansas. have discov-
cred method by which they can dig 30foot hole
for pit silo in about two days. They contract to
dig pit sos 10 feet in diameter and 80 feet deep