The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1923-08-10
DUNLAVA'S OLD STAND
VALLEY co. AGENT
GIVES STLO LESSONS


Sheridan County is raising more
corn this year than ever before and
nearly every farm has several acres
of corn planted and which corn has
reached a luxuriant growth at this
time and with proper care Will solve
the feed bill for the next year for the
stock. The biggest drawback with
silos is their cost and lack of available
money to build them. It would seem
the below described silo would solve
this problem.
Mr.. Stebbins gives the following in
/ formation regarding the uses and con
struction of the trench silO:
The usefulness of a silO of some
kind for the preservation of succulent
winter feed for livestock is well rec
ognized. Corn and sunflowers are be
ing grown in every part Of Naeey
County with great success and the
question that is being considered by
number of farmers and stOckmen who
have good prospects for crop of corn
and sunflowers this year is how best
to store them for winter feed.
Some stockmen are able to provide
the regular abOve-ground silO, con-
str1lcted either of tiles, concrete or
slaves. These are all good. Others
will no doubt put down pit silos but
still others will hesitate to invest the
money and labor required for either
of these standard types of silos until
they have had more experience. For
such, the trench silo offers satistact-
orv solution. The work can be done
during weather unsuitable for thresh-
ing and there is no cash outlay.
The trench silo consists of an exca-
walton about eight feet deep and six
teen feet wide and any length desired
Since a cubic foot of silage weighs
about 35 pounds, one running foot OF
T the trench will hold Sx16X35 pounds
or A48O pounds, the equivalent of 2.2g
TONS. Thus by dividing the number Of
tons bv 2.24 we find the length wanted
D in feet. For example, we have lO'
T TONS to nut in. We divide 100 by TIT
22A which gives 446, the cOrrec
length. If 40 pounds of silage is tie,
l. per day per head a ton OF sllage WI
,e serve one cow so days, or 10 cows TO
n five DAVIS. Thus, 100 tons of Stag
Al would feed 10 COWS 500 days or Z
4 cows for $50 days at 40 poundszeac
s. per dav. These figures will be helptl
in making estimates, although, {
Mt course. in practice one would fee
r. some cows heavier than others and WI
he feed a little more or less silage a
Us cording to the amount of other lee
nd available.
to "To fill the silo, it is necessary.
lit have a silage cutter and an engn
ed An 18-inch cutter can be operated
oh a 1920 horsepower engine If care
mt used in feeding, but if more powert
IL engine is available it vii do the, Wo
)r- faster One cutter should be able
do the work for four farms a seasQ
ng "Success in preserving silage 9
is pends upon packing well to keep I
me air out. silage spoils where too m ~
ion air pets in. This is fundamental l
rl, eiiaee Is run into the trench, and
not hacked bv tramping. The trench
ase allied to the top and heaped or r0ur
ed up SO that as the silage settles
lie win still leave the trench full All
SEES This it is covered with straw two
lay three feet deep. When ready TO tt
er- Il is opened at one end instead OF onel
be fed off the top as q regular sllo'