54 AGRICULTURE 



beets, etc., the silo is employed almost wholly in this coun- 

 try for the storing of corn without curing. 



For silage, the corn, when cut, should be ripened enough 

 so that it has somewhat glazed, well-dented kernels, and 

 the husks and leaves should have begun to die. If cut 

 much earlier than this a great proportion of the feeding 

 value of the crop will be lost. If cut much later, it will 

 not pack well in the silo, nor be so palatable. 



Storing green corn in a silo is like canning fruit. In 

 fact, the silo is nothing but a large jar, air tight except at 

 the top. When the green silage is put in, it soon begins to 

 decay, and thus generates a great deal of heat. This process 

 uses up all the air in the silage, producing a large amount 

 of carbon dioxide. Finally, the heat and the lack of air stop 

 all decay, and the silage will keep for almost any length 

 of time. Several inches of the silage on the top is certain 

 to spoil, for it has sufficient air to keep up the decay. De- 

 cay will also take place where there is any leakage of air 

 through the walls of the silo. 



Advantages in use of silo. There are many advan- 

 tages in the use of the silo. Even the harder and coarser 

 parts of the stover, because cut when green and shredded 

 into small pieces, are eaten. Probably about double the 

 feeding value can be taken from an acre of corn by putting 

 it into a silo rather than by shocking and feeding it from 

 the field. This will allow nearly twice as much stock to 

 be kept on a farm by use of the silo. Animals also need 

 such a laxative food as silage provides. 



Stock relish silage better than dry fodder, eat more of 

 it, and thrive better on it. Cattle prefer it to clover hay, 

 and eat it greedily even when fresh from good pasturage. 

 Many farmers who make a business of dairying are coming 

 to feed silage all through the summer as a supplement to 



