Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1922-09-14
The Pit or Trench Silo
By j. g. H4AEK Agricultural Extension DEPARTMENT
International Harvester Complain.

COW as can be secured. With the add
ton of grain for one or two month.
{ at the close of the feeding period. thi
makes an almost ideal feeding ratio
for the beef steer.
The Corn Crop, Put Into the Slid
Furnishes Two TO -Four Times a
Much Feed as When Fed as DIR,
Fodder.
This statement is seemingly some
what exaggerated, but experience will
bear 1t out as true. In the first piac,
there IS absolutely no waste in feed
ing silage, and on account of its pal
atabillty, the animals apparently gel
more value from it than they would
from an equal amount of dry fodder
This was observed quite closely on the
/. II. G. Farm in 1914 and 1915, and
we were satisfied that our corn fod-
der, when cut and put into the silo and
fed out as silage, rave us at least
four times the amount of feed that il
would, had we fed it out as dry fod-
der. The question of refilling the silo
with dry. fodder will be discussed
further later.
Silage Primarily a Cattle Feed, but Is
Valuable Feed for Horses, Sheep
and Hogs.
Silage gives its best results when
fed to cattle, because of the fact that
they demand a more s%ucculent feed
than other farm animals. However.
this does not mean that they are the
only ones to which it should be fed.
Colts, especially, may be fed a small
allOHUnnnn IF Ullarro 70 oeA~I ,I.~~--
Sheep also make good use of some
sllage. and hogs will relish it as a
change from the dry feed in the winter
time. When available it should be
given to all the stock in small guam
titles.
Any Crop, Corn, Wheat, Oats, Barley,
Peas, Sweet Clover, Weeds, Etc.
Win Make Good Silage.
With many it is doubtless thought
that corn is the only crop that can be
used for silage. However, it is true
that any crop that may ordinarily be
fed to stock can be put into the silo
to advantage. In fact, all the crops
mentioned have been used with sue
cess, even the Russian thistle is used
with corn, and makes excellent feed.
Some of these will be mentioned later,
separately.
Dry Corn Fodder, Cut Into the Silo,
Carefully Tramped and We With
an Equal Amount of Water, Makes
Feed Almost Equal to Green Corn
Sdage.
This use of the silo is comparatively
new, but nevertheless has proven of
great advantage. At Aberdeen, So.
OAK, 20 acres of corr which was
frosted before ripe, was cut immed-
iately and was all put through the silo
md fed to fattening steers during the
winter. This corn, put into
he silo in April, and wet as it was
3ut in, made practically as good feed
IS the first filling, which was put in
the corn was dry. This has
'een a great surprise, and may mean
much to those who have only. a small
lilo. 1t required the refilling of this
lilo five times during the winter, to
Utilize all of this crop.
lou May Think You Cannot Afford a
Silo, but the Fact Is, You Cannot
Afford to be Without One.
On every farm there should be
nough cattle kept to consume one
bird to one-half of the crops grown,
o that a part of the fertility can be
.turned to the soil. We believe that
ven with as few as ten head, no farm
an afford to be without this essential
Improvement; and there is no ques-
on but that the added value of feed
~ silage will every year pay for the
9st of building a silo. (
Reasons Why l Am Going TO Build !
q Silo" I
Yes must have a silor and there ]
re q number of good reasease
| spend too much time putting up s
nv feed, and then there is so much !
aste. By having a silo / could have
No. / feed and wouldn't have to
it stacked all over the yard; also !
should Judge it would take longer Q
feed dry feed than it would to feed 5
lage. I
AS most of my neighbors and my t
If feed the stock out doors, we are
II in all kinds Of weather: but with !
silo, it would be fed inside and would I
much more pleasant for both man Q
Id stock. D
And another very important thing n
that our pastures are good here for b
ily about three months in the year, a