Putnam County herald. (Cookeville, Tenn.) 1903-1922, 1920-07-22
GREATEST WASTE Is MADE WITH
CORN CROP

The greatest waste of any single
agricultural product in this country
is found in the way the corn crop is
handled, according to H. B. Bliss
Rural engineering specialist, Divis-
ion of Extension. He states that
over a billion dollars is wasted every
year by leaving corn stalks in the
field, or about forty per cent. Of the
feeding value of the crop. The rem
edy for this is the silo, says Mr..
Bliss. II every farmer would put a
part of his corn stalks in the silo it
would cave much Of this enormous
waste and better livestock and bet
ter homes would be the result.
An acre of corn properly planted
will produce twelve to fifteen tons
of ensilage which will feed four COWS
around forty pounds each day for six
months. One acre of pasture will
feed one COW for six months in most
parts of Tennessee, which demons
trates the. value of the silo. Rec
ords of dairy testing associations
show that where silage is fed the
dairyman often received nearly twice
as much profit for every dollor's
worth of feed consumed by the COW.
Some tests have been made where
silage has increased the milk flow
of the average dairy COW by twenty
per cent.
Mr.. Bliss points out that one acre
of corn silage is equivalent to two
and one-haf acres of clover in the
barn. Experiments show that two
and one-haH tons of silage are equiv
alent in feeding value to one ton of
clover hay. II one acre OF clover
produces two tons OF nay and one
acre of sixty ibushel corn produces
twelve and one-half tons of silage,
then one acre of corn made into 81
lage is equivalent in feeding value to
two and one-hah acres of clover in
theb arm. From these figures which
are based on experiment station bull
letins 1t Is evident that corn for ST.
lage on high priced land is two and
one-half times as profitable as clover
hay. This is not meant to discour-
age the growing OF clover but to
show the relative value OF silage
and the great need of more of these
on Tennessee farms, says Mr.. Bliss.
It Is estimated that there are near
ly $4,000 silos In the United States.
Every farmer who has given the silo
half show would not be without
one on his place. Many are now
building their second and third silo.
Some Of the large farmers have as
high as a dozen or more and in some
sections of the country there is one
onm ost every farm. Tach year the
silo is filing greater need on the
livestock farms OF Tennessee. This
need is coming more and more ap-
parent with the increasing cost of
feeds, high priced land and cores
ponding decrease in the selling price
of beef during the last year. Mr..
Bliss says that the best argument in
favor of the silo is the fact that they
are increasing more rapidly where
they are the thickest.
The Oldest and most common type
of silo in Tennessee says Mr.. Bliss,
is the ordinary wood silo. While
the wood silo cannot be classed a.
mong the permanent types, It has
given satisfaction where properly
constructed. The silo IL no better
than the wood thit it Is made of and
the farmer shoull noe expect It to
last any longer than any other wood
building. A silo that will stand up
and give good service for 10 years,
or even less, is a good investment.
Rather than be without a silo this
winter, with twenty head Of cattle on
hand, it is better to have most any
kind than none, says Mr.. Bliss.