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Rural School Leaflet. 



WHEN TO CUT CORN FOR THE SILO AND THE 

 VARIETY TO GROW 



G. F. Warren 



Many farmers are deceived as to the best variety of corn to grow 

 for the silo because of the large yield of material that they get if the corn 

 is cut green. Some persons cut corn in the milk stage. As will be 

 seen by the table, this was the stage when corn gave the greatest yield 

 of material, 16.3 tons per acre; but this large yield was all water except 

 the 2.3 tons of dry matter. When ripe the corn yielded only 14.2 tons 

 of silage; yet there was almost twice as much dry matter as in that 

 cut at the earlier stage. Persons are often deceived by the large weight 

 that they handle and forget that it is largely water. It is cheaper 

 to get water out of a well. Corn should be thoroughly glazed before 

 it is cut for the silo. That is, the kernels should begin to be hard and 

 no milk should come out of them when they are mashed. It ought 

 to be just as mature as possible and yet keep. In spite of its large 

 appearance, the stalk contains only about the same amount of dry 

 matter as the ear and the ear is worth much more to feed. 



A variety that matures to the glazed stage in ordinary seasons, should 

 be grown for the silo. Nothing but water is gained by raising bigger 

 corn that does not mature to this stage. 



Yield of Silage from a Field of Corn when Cut at Different Stages 



Stage of growth 



Fully tasseled , , , 



Fully silked , , , 



Kernels in the milk stage 



Kernels glazed 



Ripe 



Yield 

 of corn 

 per acre 



9.0 tons 

 12.9 " 



16.3 " 



16. 1 " 



14.2 " 



Water 

 per 

 acre 



8.2 tons 

 II. 3 " 

 14.0 " 

 12.5 " 

 10.2 " 



Dry 



Matter 



per acre 



0.8 tons 



1-5 " 



2.3 " 



3-6 " 



4.0 " 



SELECTION OF CORN 



Arthur W. Gilbert 



When selecting ears of corn for breeding or exhibition purposes, one 

 should have in mind a well defined ideal type of ear. In general this 

 type of ear should be one which will give the greatest yield of mature 



