Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-03-02
Farminq in 4 he MoIthMss4
FoR MORE AND BETTER S|LOs
THIRD A,norn-sn FOR THE sonrnw r,r,.s, s, 20.
- : u.,.v Aed Exten. Dept, international avs -
termined somewhat by the number o.

fermined sOmeWhdt w - 90 froroS ~
animals that are to % +su taS th.1s
! While it is quite seneraaiSS snoai,isws.
~ 20 si,s % over the entire silo every
81 .hare apparently is not as much
danger of the silage spoiling as so!.s
u a..s s.ored to think. This is espe-
n;aIi,, tr,a in the winter time wheus
Ia t.nnnerature is low. In the sum.
.n ne. tinne> Of course, the silage would
snni, more rapidly. However. the. Ill
opoatar Of the silo should not DC so
rrsat hat the top two or three incnes
enid not be fed off every Day, ls
there were any disposition Dire %
ilage to spoil.
Wa have found in feeding silage II
this region, that is to 20 pounas pska
head per day. with some aiial.a nay:
and straw. is about all that u Is me-
essary to feed stock cattle. " couHfs5
! milk cows or fattenlng steeEs cou'o
be fed more. y. -. > II
a. Farm at Grand Forks. we have REQ
thirty head Of yearlings. ana tn!rsy:
head of stock cows, from q PIT sllo.s
/ We began feeding silage in November.
md reflled the silo with dry fodder
in March. and had sufficient silage 20
until the first OF June, Wnen tne
cattle were put on pasture. This PAT
silo IS IL feet. in diameter ana ~
feet deep, consequently two silos q
=, this size would have held all the 81
lage in connection with the al1alta
hay straw fed. ;...s
At the Aberdeen 1. H. c. Farm. ouE.-
ing the past winter we nave led ~
head of coming th~ree-year-olo steets.
all the silage they would eat. rom
Dit silo 10 feet in diameter. andso2o
feet deep. However. this silo was
filled five times between the middle OF
November and the middle of March.
We fed these steers at all times all
the silage they would eat, and also
practically all the alfalfa hay they
would clean up. They received no
grain in addition to the alfalfa hay
and silage, until the first of April
when they were fed what would ordl-
| narily be about a half grain ration Tor
such sized steers. which was ~,
pounds per head per day. ~
We found the silage resulting from
!rehlling the silo, quite as satisfactory
as the green corr put l n in the tall;
and Of course there is much less ex-
pense in putting the dry fodder in.
than it would the green fodder. ,es-
pecially as labor is high priced and
scarce in the fall of the year.. when
the silo would ordinarily be filled.
The weight Of corn silage VARIES
of course, with the depth of the silo.
and also somewhat with the condi-,
itons of corn when it was put into tho
silo. The weight will run between 80
and 40 pounds per cubic foot. and or
dinarily it may be figured that q
grown animal will eat a cubic footsof
silage per day. However. as prevl-.
o,,eI>. ctnfoj o,a-hoIf of.fhiu onnlYnf
with some roughagc, will furnishaa,
satisfactory maintenance ration for
grown cattle. and young animals will
eat .proportionately less.
AS a general rule. a silo should b9,
at least twice as high as the diayness
ter. That is. a IL IT. silo should be
at least "a #. high. and a 16 #. silo
30 it. high. For the above ground.
silo apparently 80 to So It, is as high.
as it is advisable to go. Above this
height it is more expensive TO fill, and
greater work in climbing the silo to
get the silage down. II more silageSiS
needed than would be contained in.
a silo 1896 IT,, it would possibly be
advisable to build an additional silo.
In building wooden silos. it, it.
would be possible TO get material II
or 80 feet long, there? would certainly
be a big advantage in not having
spices in the slaves. These are
bound to give way before the other
parts of the silo, and they also cause
considerable trouble in erecting.
A silo 10 it. in diameter and % IT.
deep will hold approximately 80 tons
OF silage, and would perhaps be the
size suitable for a herd of eight or
ten head, where one. filling was .ex-
pected to last throughout the winter.
a silo 16 it. in diameter and 80 IT,
deep would hold 1870 tons of silago,
and would feed approximately 80
head of cattle throughout the winter.
All bulletins and silo advertising
material give tables showing the cas-
pacity Of different silos. These two
sizes. however, may be used for judg-
ing as to the relative size needed for
any particular herd. '!f
Other types of silos will be discuss
ed in succeeding articles. -