ENSILAGE FOR PROFITABLE DAIRYING 167 



It has been found that a silo 35 feet deep con- 

 tains five times as much as one only 10 feet deep, 

 and that a silo 30 feet in diameter contains nine 

 times as much as one only 10 feet in diameter. 

 The larger the silo is, within reason, the cheaper it 

 becomes to conserve a ton of silage. This is due 

 to the increased density by settling it is best not 

 to build less than 25 feet deep or high. 



Silos with the above diameters and 25 to 30 feet 

 deep will contain on an average about enough 

 ensilage in i cubic foot to feed one cow per diem. 



Filling. 



Mealies which are to be converted into ensilage 

 should be planted in the ordinary way as for seed, 

 so as to secure a fair percentage of cobs on the 

 plants. Planted in rows, the crop can be gathered 

 with the mealie reaper and binder. 



The time to cut for filling is just when the lower 

 leaves begin to turn yellow, i.e. when the ears have 

 passed the " milky " stage and are in what is known 

 as the " doughy " stage, viz. when the seed on the 

 ears is just beginning to glaze. 



When filling the silo, the bottom of the pit or 

 raised structure, as the case may be, should be 

 covered with a good layer of dry or worthless 

 material to absorb moisture. The fodder required 

 to be conserved should be placed on top of this. 



