584 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



turning brown in color. This would indicate that the best results are 

 obtained when the corn is mature enough to cut for shocking purposes. 

 The nearer the corn is to maturity the more food nutrients it contains. 

 Thus the more valuable from a silage standpoint, providing there is enough 

 moisture to insure proper fermentation. Immature corn makes a dark 

 colored sour silage which may cause animals to scour badly. 



LENGTH OF CUT TO USE. 



In the discussion of the lengths in which the corn should be cut when 

 put into the silo, much difference of opinion was manifested. Some advo- 

 cate 1% inches, other 1 inch, others % inch, many y 2 inch, while some 

 advocated less than V 2 inch. The longer the cut used the more economical 

 from the standpoint of power and the more rapid the filling of the silo. 

 The shorter cut, such as the y 2 inch length insures less waste in feeding 

 the silage and makes it possible to put a greater quantity of corn in the 

 silo. Taking everything into consideration, eitber the x / 2 inch cut or the 

 % inch cut should be used. This will make a very palatable form of silage 

 for the animal, and also make it easier to pack the silage so as to eliminate 

 the air, thus preventing waste. 



BAPID OR SLOW FILLING. 



This is a point on which there is much difference of opinion. Where slow 

 filling is practiced it is always possible to pack the silage thoroughly by 

 tramping and allowing it to settle. In this way the full capacity of the 

 silo may be utilized. The objections to this system are that where a large 

 quantity of silage is to be put up on a farm or on several farms with the 

 one filling outfit, it takes so much time that some of the corn must be put in 

 too green at the beginning and some more of it too dry at the finish. It is 

 also more expensive than where rapid filling is practiced. 



Where rapid filling is practiced, say from 80 to 100 tons per day, the cost 

 of filling is reduced to the minimum. A large quantity of corn can be put in 

 the silo in a short time, thus insuring a more uniform quality of silage. 

 The chief objection to this method is, unless provision is made for refilling 

 in about a week or ten days time, that after the corn is through settling in 

 the silo it will only be about two-thirds full. This may be partially overcome 

 on a farm where two or more silos are built side by side by filling one for 

 a day then the other a day, allowing some time for the corn to settle until 

 the two or more silos are filled. In some instances where about three days 

 are required for the filling, the work is commenced on Friday and Saturday, 

 allowing the corn to settle over Sunday and the work is finished on Monday. 

 Where fast filling is practiced the only way to utilize the full capacity of 

 the silo is to fill to the top, let it settle for a week or ten days, remove the 

 waste on the top of the silo, then refill. This requires a resetting of the 

 machinery when used by more than one farmer, but it will pay. 



DISTRIBUTING AND PACKING CORN. 



There are several different ways for distributing and packing the corn in 

 the silo. The principal points to be observed are that the light and heavy 

 portions of the corn should be uniformly distributed. That is, the stalks 

 and ears should not be in the center or at one side and the lighter portions 



