Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-08-25

possible underground. the location
may be determined somewhat by the
conditions Of the soil. That is, along
the coulee banks, or banks Of
streams, there is apt to be less trou-
BILE with water in the silo than there
would be back some distance from
the hanks. .sa
Size and Capacity of the Silo. ! Y;
The size Of the silo should be de-
termined somewhat by the number of
animals that r to be fed from 1t.
While it is quite generally stated that
1t Is necessary to feed off a small lay
err of silage over the entire silo every
day, there apparently is not as much
danger Of the silage spelling as some
pecially ri in the winter time when
the temperature Is low. In the sum
mer time, of course. the silage would
spoil more rapidly. However, the d.
amcter Of the silo should not be SO
great that the top two or three inches
could not be fed off every day, II
there were any disposition of the sil-
age to spoil. ".
We have found in feeding .silage in
fthis region, that IL to 20 pounds per
head per day, with some alfalfa hay
and straw, Is about all that 1t is nee
essary to feed stock cattleaA OF course
milk or fattening steers could be fed
more.
During the past winter at the I. II.
C. farm at Grand Forks we have fed
lt~wenty-eight head of 2~-year-old steers,
and forty-five head Of stock COWS and
calves. from a pit silo. We began
feeding this silage in November, and
reflled h silo twice with dry fodder
in January and March, and had suf-
fcient silage to last until the first of
June. when the cattle were put on
pasture. This pit silo is 10 feet in
diameter and 20 feet deep, conse-
iquently three silos Of this size would
have held all the ssilage. in connection
with the alfalfa hay and straw fed.
Atsthe AberdeenlI. n. G.. farm. dur
ing the past winter we have fed 80
head Of coming 3-year-old steers, all
the tsilage they would eat, from a pit
silo 10 feet in diameter and 25 feet
deep. with a 20 foot extension above
ground. However, this silo was filled
three times between the middle OF
November and the middle of March.
We fed these steers.a at all times all the
silage, they would eat, and also prac-
tically all the alfalfa hay they would
clean up. They received no grain In
addition to the silage and alfalfa hay,
until the first Of April. when they were
half grain ration for such sized steers
which was 10 pounds PEI head pei
day.
We found the silage resulting from
re1lltng this silo, quite as satisfactory
as the green III put in in the fall
and there is much less expense In put
ting the dry fodder In than 1t would
the green fodder, especially as labor
is high priced n scarce In the fal!
of the year. when the silo would or.
dinarily be filled.
The weight Of corn siIage varies
with the depth Of the Esilo, and also
somewhat with the conditions of the
corn5when 1t is put into the silo. The
weight will run between 80 and AZ
pounds per cubic foot, and ordinarily
It may be figured that q grown ANNA
iday. However, as previously stated
one-half Of this amount, with some
roughage, will furnish a satisfactory
maintenance fol grown cattle, and
young animals Will eat proporttonately
less.
As a general rule, q silo should be
lat least twice asfhigh as the diameter
That 4. as12 foot silo should be al
least "a feet high, and 4 16 foot asilc
80 feet high. For the above ground
lstlo apparently 40 to 36 feet is al
high as 1T 10 advisable to go. Above
this height IT is nor expensive to I'LL
greater work is required In climb
ing h stlotto get the silage down. d
more silage IL needed than would he
lcontained In e. silo 16x3s feet, 1t would
lgrobably pc advisable to build an ad.
ditional siio.
In building wooden siIos, Ii il would
be possible to get material al or 81
feet long, there would certainly be q
big advance in not having splices ii
the etaves- These are bound to Hivs
way before the other parts d ths
Isilo and they also iconsider-
liable trouble In ereetfxiE.
a eilo 10 feet In dianaeter and 2(
feet deep Will hold approximately 3l
tons Of Gilase, and would perhaps bt
the alze suttab11 D ~ herd of efRh'
Or 9 nshead, where one nil4ng was ex.
1pscteA to lnet Throughout the winter
a stl0s1g fest In dtanstar ana 81 zes,