8 



the stave silo is fnlly described in Bulletin 167, Cornell Experiment 

 Station. 



Feeding silage to dairy cattle. — AVell preserved silage is an 

 excellent food for dairy cattle. (Consult Lesson 9.) It should not, 

 however, be used exclusively nor in unlimited quantities. A cubic 

 foot of well packed silage weighs about forty pounds which is con- 

 sidered a suthcient amount for one day for a 1,000 pound cow. 

 Like all green foods it should be fed cautiously at first. At the rate 

 of forty pounds a day, about three and one-half tons of silage would 

 l)e required to feed one cow for six months ; a herd of ten cows 

 would require about thirtj^-iive tons for the same period. Siloists 

 should add one-fourth to the capacity of the silo to make up for the 

 waste wdiich takes place during the feeding period. 



To ascertain the capacity of a square or oblong silo, find the cubic 

 contents by multiplying the length by the height and width. This 

 will give practically the number of days which one animal may be 

 fed on this amount : and the time in davs it will feed a herd of 

 cattle is easily ascertained by dividing the cubic feet by the number 

 of animals in the herd. To find the capacity of a round silo, its 

 diameter is squared and multiplied by the height ; this is multiplied 

 by .7851 which gives the cubic contents. Thus: Diameter 10 feet, 

 height 15 feet ; 10 X 10 = 100 X 15 = 1500 X .7S5i = 1178.10 cubic 

 feet ; deduct from this one-fourth for waste space and loss of silage 

 in feeding which leaves practically 883 cubic feet of silage for feed- 

 ing purposes. 



Silage i)lants. — Corn is the principal silage plant. It is easy of 

 culture, remarkably productive and is preserved without difficulty. 

 When the earliest ears have reached the " irlazed " sta^e the corn 

 plant is in good condition for the silo. If cut before this it is likely 

 to make sour silage ; if cut much later it may mould in the silo. 

 When corn is cut in a very green state it should be wilted somewhat 

 before being put into the silo — the surplus water must be disposed of. 

 If corn is too dry, it may be improved by judicious moistening when 

 the silo is being filled, but uneven wetting causes mould. Clover, 

 oats, peas, barley and mixed crops of these are siloed, but as a rule 

 their use is restricted to summer soiling and corn used for winter feed. 



350 



