618 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



carrier, very few blowers require more than a 12-horsepower engine. 

 With but one exception the power used on any one of these 31 farms 

 would have been sufficient to run a medium-sized blower machine, and 

 in most cases would have handled the largest machines without any 

 trouble. It is interesting to note that blower machines were used by the 

 five men having the lowest cost per ton of silage. Where the carrier 

 elevators were used it cost on an average 65 cents per ton to fill the silo, 

 while it cost those who used the blower elevators 61 cents. A carrier 

 unless covered on top and fitted with a return trough underneath is very 

 untidy, especially during windy weather. At one place there was litter 

 to the depth of half a foot about the silo that had blown out of the 

 carrier. This trouble is avoided by the use of the blowers. 



The blower pipe should stand as nearly perpendicular as possible. In 

 one case that was called to the writer's attention a blower at first proved 

 unsatisfactory. The trouble lay in having the cutter set too far from 

 the silo, with the pipe leaning at an angle of 30 degrees from the per- 

 pendicular. The pipe clogged frequently, and a 12-horsepower engine was 

 insufficient to handle the cutter when it was crowded to anything like its 

 full capacity. After two days of annoyance and discouragement the 

 owner changed the position of the machine, putting it close to the silo. 

 The difference could be noticed at once. There was no further trouble 

 from lack of power, and it was impossible to clog the pipe by overfeeding. 



SILAGE DISTRIBUTERS. 



In a silo more than 36 feet in depth it is not necessary to have a 

 man to tramp the cut corn. If the surface is leveled two or three times a 

 day while filling, the silage will pack sufficiently to keep. But there is one 

 objection to doing this. If the cut corn is allowed to pile up in the form 

 of a cone, the heavier parts will roll to the outside of the pile and the 

 grain and leaves will not be evenly mixed. 



Several devices have been invented for distributing the cut material 

 in the silo, but few of them are successful. One of the most satisfactory 

 distributers where a blower is used consists of two boards, 8 or 10 inches 

 wide and about half as long as the diameter of the silo, nailed together 

 at right angles to form a trough. A 12-inch board is nailed over one end 

 of this trough, the other end being left open. For use, the trough is sus- 

 pended from the roof with the open side downward and the closed end to- 

 ward the center of the silo. The open end rests above the top of the 

 blower pipe. As the cut material leaves the pipe it follows along this 

 trough until it strikes the closed end; then it is scattered about the silo. 

 If a little care is exercised in adjusting this device, it will give very good 

 results. 



PABTNERSHIP ARRANGEMENTS AMONG FARMERS. 



The high cost of machinery for cutting silage and the difficulty in se- 

 curing help prevent many farmers from building silos. It is highly im- 

 portant to be able to get an outfit when it is needed. An early frost or a 

 spell of hot, dry weather may so affect the crop that it is necessary to fill 

 the silo several days before the usual time. For this reason a man should 

 own his cutter and engine, especially if enough silage is cut each year to 

 warrant this outlay of capital. It is usually easier to hire an engine than 



