The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1921-06-03
PIT S|LOS WOULD
SAVE STOCK FOOD


Powder River county by the Yellow
stcne Lumber company to interest the
farmers and ranchers in pit silos.
,Cencerning pit silos. information is
International Harvester company. The
bulletins preface reads:
"A pit siio or bank silo. may be
many sections. Regions which are re
passing through the pioneer stage OF
their development. where the cost Of
high. need not be without a silo. In
the past two years Kansas. Nebraska
and Colorado farmers have constructed
more than 1000 pit silos.
In Montana, the Dakotas, and other
northern states where the winters are
severe. the pit silo is in general use.
regions. 1t cannot blow down, nor
freeze up. and it is cheaply constructed.
whether it be in the humid regions Of
the cCrn belt or in semi-arid or dry
regions, the pit silo. If properly con-
structed. will give the best Of satis-
"a number of them are in use in
use In Wisconsin. Iowa, Mississippi and
Other information pertaining to the
ipt silo Is given III the bulletin:
Corn - the great silo crop, and no.
where does it prove more valuable for
Ct the corn belt. For the best sill age
It should be mature. but need not Be
hard and dry as Is necessary IL the
The silo il very essential where the
short seasons often prevent corn fully
r1pening. Frosted corn may be dam
lOed promptly there is not nearly the
loss that occurs II the fodder is cut
and left in the shock.
less than the fruit can or ,kraut barrel
en- larger scale. The advantages OF
s1lage over dry feed are comparable
to the difference between nicely canned
ripe apples or pears and the dried
fruit. The sllo preserves the flavor
and succulence which are invaluable, e,
terial sliced.
Corn silage and alfalfa hay fed to-
gether make the cheapest and best
balanced ration that en- be grown en- a
farm: "a. m: In fact. such ration cannot
of any other feed.
The one great drawback to the lives
STOCK Industry. in the nor.nwest has
TS 1sen the the problem Of winter feeding.
one en6ic Is foot sotvi1g ~ 1hs
2 little straw will keep mature cattle
in good condition; with alfalfa hay it
A cubic foot Ct silage weighs be-
tween ~ and 40 pounds. and It would
require nearly hve times as much space
20 store the same weight Of hay.
fattens old stock. and 7ncreases E; IL:
milk ncw. 1t 10 more convenient to
a, naadle than fodder. and does not both
Nearly haH the corn fodder is vast
ed. There Is practically no waste to
sllase. The sflo win make it possible
~. ~ oTunae T.r. the number ct stock kept on
The cost of growing corn for silage
1s not a question with many farmers
they must grow corn to clean their
land &C that they can grow wheat. one
fourth of the farm should be in grass
"a - mixture including clover and al.
protdabie practice in the older coun-
tries. even in England where land is
worth $500 per acre.
Forks. N. D.. filled his siios last fall
during wet spell when the threshing
crew woud have otherwise been idle.
to GSst i thn n ailos LESS than IS cents per ton
varies for different conditions. but the
above IL about the average.
sliage may be figured as worth s.
ton, anu our northern corn shOulu
make from six to ten tons per acre.
The farmers OF the northwest must
consider the silo as a means ct chang
farming. That such a change is nee
essary. all will admit.
The readily available fertility cf the
wages. and low prices have lowered
the profits on the older wheat farms.
Corn properly cultivated, destroys
9 by she fse, tha, eia eas Thi
planted to corn one year and put back
into wheat. will nearly double their
fsI1n,e, former yield iis, Many farmers summe,
of corn acccmplishes the same results
as summer fallowing.. and the corn is
a profitable crop. Fields left in al.
as they did when first broken
Corn Is the silO and alfalfa il the
NOW. make 1T possible to keep live.
stock. and to return to the soil, ma.
nure---active organic matter. which
will further aid in restoring and main
tanning the productivity. of the soil
"breadbasket," but it can remain 81
only by intelligently combining small
Erain-growing with corn. alfalfa ant
In a large part CT the northwest tn,
pit silO can be used to advantage. Th.
pit siio is not new, for it has been IL
use in Europe for centuries. However
it is only recently that it has been pu
into use to any extent in the United
States. In sections of moderate rain
fall. where the water In wells Is no
and the soil is not gravel or sand. thu
pit silo is proving. very satisfactory
and has the following advantages:
First, cost Cf construction The larg
est item OF cost in Instruction Of th'
pit silo is, of course. the labor con
nected with excavating. II this ca,
be OOne Dy nelp on tue idIHi dt Sus
times, or by exchanging work with
neighbor. there nee not be any easi s;,l
ls feet in diameter and 25 feet deep
the total cost outside Ct labor. varies
from $45 to SIS, depending on the eos
Of sand. gravel and cement. The cos
of excavattng the dirt would. Of cours
depend en- the wages at which tn
work was figured: Estimates Of thi
cost by those who have built then
varies almost as much as the cost o
cement, sand and gravel.
The second advantage is the small
expense in filling. AS 1t is not neces
sary to elevate the silage. mucl
smaller and less expensive machine
required. and also u great deal les
power. . ,
The third advantage-the pit silc'
air-tight, which is a very essentia
feature Of any stlO.
The fourth advantage-an even TEN
perature is maintained throughout tn tn
silaRe will not freeze. nor will 1t over
heat IL kept over the summer: I'll
The NTH advantage-the silo VII
mt hlcV down. Being in the grOun(