The Sidney herald., 1957-09-19

pertinent Station, the tops from
beets grown in a MANFRED 70
tation with alfalfa hay and siloet
in a pit silo have produced, oil
the average, 1000 pounds of edi
BILE beet top silage per ton o
beets harvested and this silag'
fed TO lambs and dairy cattle IL
feeding tests have proved equal
pound for pound, in feeding value
to good corn silage produced from
corn yielding 100 pounds per acre
In Nebraska experiments, bee
top silage was worth 500 more
than tops fed without ensiling.
In other words, then, the top.
produced from a ton of beets
in the form of beet top silage
are worth one-half the price Of
good cor silage per ton. AS 6
ton Of corn silage is generally
considered to be worth one-hal1
the price of alfalfa hay per ton
for fattening cattle or sheep, il
can also be figured that the value
of the edible beet top silage pro-
duced from a ton of beets is
equal to one-fourth the current
price of alfalfa hay per ton.
Where beet tops are to be 81
loed it is a good plan to handle
them with machinery as much as
possible. Fresh green tops can
be rolled into windows with a
side delivery rake, and then
chopped with a field chopper.
This operation generally tends to
shake out most Of the dirt and
clods and to deliver clean tops
to the silo, an important factor
in making good beet top silage.
Tops may also be taken directly
from the beet topping unit and
sliced without touching the
ground but in such cases it is
best to include some dry fodder
to absorb and retain their high
moisture content.
Settled beet top silage weighs
about so pounds per cubic foot.
AS tops settle considerable dur
ing fermentation in the silo it is
a good plan to allow a period of
2 or 3 days between the stacking
of each 3 to 4 feet of green tops.
In ordinary farm silos or stacks
a width of 10 to Ia feet is adj
visable with a final height of
settled silage of about 6 feet but
trench silos 20 feet wide, 10 feet
deep and $50 feet long to hold
a thousand tons of beet top silage
are not uncommon. Beet top 81
lage may be fed from the entire
5op of the stack removing only a
thin layer each day. Where the
stack is built along side of the
feed hunks this is a COM
non practice and saves labor of
oading and unloading the silage.
4 silage is to be fed from one
end of the trench silo, however,
he tops should be covered with
inc straw or some freshly mown
green alfalfa which will mat
Town to provide a protective COW
For more information on MAX
ng and feeding beet top silage
write or call us at the Richland
County Extension Service Office.
Fall Bind Weed Control
Fall treatment of perennial
weeds that show growth is a
worthwhile practice and should
especially considered for field
'indweed. This weed, which is
ommon to the area, also goes
y the name of creeping jenny
nd wild morning glory.
Heavier applications of 2,4-D
re needed in the fall than in
ne spring, because the plants are
1 the dormant stage and are
luch harder to penetrate. The
recommended rate for fall treat
lent is two pounds of parent
AID acid per acre.
In the case of bindweed, re-
Gated treatments in the spring
nd fall over a period Of two or
lree years usually will complete
: eradicate the weed.
Additional information on the
ontrol of both perennial and an
ual weeds will be found in the
[ontana Agricultural Experiment
tation circular, 210 Weed Con-
oil in Montana" and copies are
yaihable at the county extension
flee.
am Conditioning Important
Or Farm Flock Success