FIFTEENTH AXXUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VII 449 



it's a thought that has remained witli some of the dairymen ever since 

 that time. 



In those days it required missionary work to convince the farmer 

 that he should have a silo. The policy that Mr. Hill followed is prac- 

 tically universal now among the dairy farmers of this country, and, by 

 dairy farmers, is meant those men who are actually making a great suc- 

 cess with their cows. The silo is universal in its adaptability to farm 

 conditions. It is suited to the southland and to the far north, where the 

 winters sometimes begin early and the warm spring breezes do not blow 

 until well along in May. Here the crops that are gathered and put into 

 the silo will be a little different from those of the corn belt, although 

 the universal silage crop is corn. 



There is a peculiar thing about this northern section. The sumnaer 

 sun is short lived, the growing season is more brief, but, for some reason 

 or other, vegetable growth is more rapid, and crops seem to mature more 

 quickly, than in those sections where the seasons are long. For that 

 reason, it is possible to harvest a crop of corn for silage purposes even 

 in the far north of this country. 



The silo is also adapted to the southern sections, where the cow may 

 feed on the natural pasture for from nine to eleven months in the year. 

 These southern tillers of the soil find that there will be periods when 

 the pastures are dry and feed is uncertain. For such times the silage is 

 a very present help and the flow of milk is held up because of this 

 succulence that can be given when needed. 



In the corn belt, where the year is equally divided between pasture 

 and stable seasons, where it is necessary to take the cows from the field 

 the 1st of November and keep them under largely artificial conditions 

 until the following April, the silo is a supreme necessity. Many of the 

 mortgages that have been lifted are directly traceable to silage fed cows. 

 These milk checks are invariably larger and more satisfying to all dairy 

 farmers when the herd is developed and fed on good corn silage. 



CORN IS BEST SILAGE CHOP. 



The best silage crop is corn. Other feed may be used, but corn is 

 supreme. Some have found sorghum very excellent for purposes of this 

 kind. Some use alfalfa, or that part of the alfalfa crop that is cut in 

 rainy weather. It frequently happens that the first cutting of alfalfa 

 comes when the early summer rains make it almost impossible for the 

 farmers to harvest their crop without having it seriously damaged. If 

 this is the case, the alfalfa may be run directly into the silo, and feed 

 that would otherwise be materially injured is thus saved in the best of 

 condition. 



Others have found that Soy beans, or cow peas, work very nicely in the 

 silo; still others have used the small grains, cutting them at the time 

 when the plant contains the maximum amount of succulence without 

 being too sappy. 



One general characteristic must be borne in mind, however, that is, any 

 crop that is hollow-stemmed does not serve as well for silage, because it 

 is more difficult to keep the air entirely out of the feed. 

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