254 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



my travels. It can be built to serve the purpose by a saw and 

 hatchet carpenter and yet so elastic in this feature that the same 

 principle can be employed and admit of the rich man making it 

 just as elaborate as his fancy prompts. It will save feed over any 

 form met with in my experience. It will admit sunshine as no 

 other plan does. It is not patented and is so plain that it will not 

 appeal to any save the man hampered by lack of means. While 

 here I will be glad to explain to any interested. In visiting breed- 

 ing plants and farms from the New England States to California 

 I have been struck with the force of a remark that I once heard a 

 real estate man make in speaking of the dwellings and other build- 

 ings of farmers. In commenting on so-called improved farms he 

 referred to the buildings and arrangements as "models of incon- 

 venience." During the past three days you have listened to so 

 many good things that in nearing the conclusion of this splendid 

 programme I feel that I should thank one and all for kindly bear- 

 ing with this test of your patience in listening to this paper of a 

 "moss back" Missouri farmer. 



THE VALUE OF THE SILO. 



(By C. J. W. Jones, Roanoke, Mo.) 



In 1905 my son and I, without skilled help, built a concrete 

 silo 16 feet in diameter and 40 feet in height. We have filled this 

 silo four times and we have had splendid results. The method 

 and cost of construction was written for Hoard's Dairyman and 

 was published by that paper at the time of construction and has 

 been republished by that paper twice since. This silo stands as 

 perfect as when built and it is believed would endure for centuries 

 with but little repair. 



This silo has no roof and when we fill it we pile on top all that 

 v^ill lay on. Indeed, this year we placed some weather-boarding 

 on top and thus gained several tons of silage. Filled in this man- 

 ner it will hold 200 tons. Last year it took just ten acres of 

 drilled corn and cowpeas to fill it. I give you some comparisons 

 of value of this 10 acres of siloed corn. 



The basis of comparison is taken from a table of nutrient 

 equivalents given in a recent number of Hoard's Dairyman. The 

 200 tons of silage from this ten acres was equivalent to 70 tons of 

 timothy hay, which at $8 a ton would be $560 or to $56 an acre 



