414 Jcurnal oj Agriculture, Yictor'ia. [10 June, 191 i. 



THE SILO: A FACTOR IN MODERN AGRICULTURE. 



//. C . Churches, Dairy Supervisor. 



One cannot mo\e about the country without feeling sorry at the neglect 

 ■on the part of many stock-raisers and dairymen, especially the latter, 

 to conserve the surplus fodder visible in all good seasons. Our congenial 

 climate is, in a measure, to be held responsible for this state of affairs. 

 Owners, in the past, have depended altogether too much on Nature to 

 provide for their herds. 



Necessity is said to be the mother of invention, but in later times com- 

 petition has been the impelling influence of many an inventive genius. 

 It is certainlv the keenness of competition that is now awakening our rural 

 producers to a sense of their responsibilities. Inertness on the part of 

 dairymen cannot go on much longer. Had our wheat-growers not kept 

 abreast of the times, they would not have been in the envious financial 

 position thev are to-day. Economy in production of fodder means in- 

 creased profits. Competition establishes the price at which the farmers 

 must market their products ; but by the study of approved and modern 

 methods they can regulate their profits. 



Twenty years ago, few farmers knew what a silo was, and fewer still 

 had ever fed silage to their stock. Silos are no longer a curiosity ; they 

 are every day becoming more popular, and many farmers would think 

 seriously of quitting, if they could not have silage for their herds. 



The silo dates back to antiquity, but it was not until late in the seventies 

 that their construction was undertaken in this country. They were then 

 mostly of the underground type. To-day, public opinion favours the 

 overhead type, which originated in the United States of America, where it 

 has become very popular. In the principal dairying States of that country 

 the silo is considered an essential adjunct to the dairy farm as is the 

 barn, cow-shed, or other farm building. 



Advantages of the Silo. 



The many advantages of the silo over other systems of curing crops 

 foi the feeding of farm animals are so patent that the naked facts, when 

 once known, are sufficient to secure for it a place in the permanent equipment 

 of a dairy farm. Farmers who contemplate erecting silos, or who are 

 doubtful of their utility, should consult the nearest neighbour who has one. 

 I have not met one owner who did not speak highly of silage as a food 

 for cattle. 



It has been said that " whoever makes two blades of grass grow where 

 but one grew before, is a benefactor to mankind." A silo makes it pos- 

 sible to keep two cows where but one was kept before. One of the direct 

 advantages gained by the use of the silo is that it enables growers to have 

 at command a larger quantity of succulent fodder than is possible by any 

 other system. 



Silage versus Dry Fodder. 



Pasture grasses and clovers in a green state form ideal feed for dairy 

 cattle ; but they are only available for a few months each year. The same 

 holds true with all crops grown for fodder. The chief method of pre- 

 servation adopted in Victoria is that of hay-making. It is not customary, 

 however, to dry maize, or to make it into hay. When made into hay, even 

 under the most favourable conditions, all crops lose a considerable percentage 

 of their food value, as well as their natural succulence. The longer they 

 are left in the field the greater is this loss, while in the silo it is compara- 

 tivelv small. 



