The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-07-01
.SILOS ARE BECOMING
ESSENTIAL ITO A WELL 4
MANAGED DAIRY FARM
Permit Early Clearing Of Corn
Field. and Provides Ample
!: !. - 5. Fodder supply ss$ 4. I

years experience, from heaps Of green
corn to our. modern round success.
full silo. It has stood the test Of time
because it provides q feed, without
which no livestock breeder would at
tempt to produce milk or beef. I'd
The advantages OF q silo are many;
first Of all, since corn for silage ;is cut
green It enables a farmer to clear his
corn field early in the seasons in pre-.
paration for q fall crop such as rye;
in case OF early frost, the silo takes
better care and insures more benefit
from immature frosted corn than any
other method known. Since corn
does not need to ybe, fully mature, 9
farmer may plant corn with 2 great
er sense OF security and sureness OF
getting q crop than he can for feed
corn. He can also. raise larger and
later varieties Of corn, thus insuring
a heavier yield per acre. The silo Is
the most economical means Of storing
feed. Where a ton Of hay occupies 3
space varying from $50 to $50 cubic
feet, q ton of silage occupies q space
of fifty cubic feet. Or taking equal
amounts of dry matter, two tons OF
:silage being equal to one ton OF hay,
we have the same feed value occupy
ing but 100 cubic feet in the silo. :.
! The silo preserves and prepares the
corn plant SO that the entire plant,
leaves and stalk, are eaten. This in
surest the greatest possible usesot the
corn plant. This point Is .of import
ance when 1t is estimated thAESthe
stalks contain practically aas.smnch
feed value as the ear. In feeding
bundle corn or corn stalks, only q
small percentage OF stalks are eaten.
The silo saves the largest percentage
ofscorn of any. method of feed-storage
or curing. HAY or corn fodder cured
and stored In stacks will lose from 70;
to SO per cent of feed value, de-
pending upon weather conditions
while curing, and efficiency Of stor-
age. Ordinarily, curing of hay under
favorable conditions results in a loss
Of up to rs per cent Of feed value OF
green hay. - .tFs- j, glsj:
The loss in a good silo, properly
filed, amounts to from S to 10 per.
cent. The silo insures uniform feed
the year. round. The natural feed for
cattle is green grass and every one
knows the effect of green, grass on
milk and beef production as compared
to dry feed. The silo provides this
greer feed in the winter time and en-
sures a&green feed the year around.
Silage is succulent, containing prac-
tically5 all of the plant sap, and hence
is as much more ,palatable as is green
fruit as compared to dry fruit. This
in addition to making food
more palatable, aids the digestion OF
dry feed, enabling. the COW to- get
more value from the dry feed she
This succulence also slim
ulates milk flow as IS noticed when a
cow is turned on grass. *. - j 4
silage is very convenient to feed,
much more so even than hay, and
especially corn stalks. It enables stall
feeding with greater convenience and
ease. In case of drouth in the sum
mer time, silage is reliable feed to
tall back ON as supplement. In fact,
many livestock breeders, especially
dairy men, are using silage the year
around, to eliminate danger Of dry
pasture, and consequent loss during
fly time. Silage is also the cheapest
feed crop because of its heavy yield,
the economy Of storage and conven-
fence of feeding, to say nothing OF its
value as a feed.
u ;. b. o.