252 



THE ESSENTIALS OF AGRICULTURE 



326. Silage crops. Most green plants can be preserved in the 

 silo if they contain sufficient sugar to produce the acids required 

 to preserve them, but hollow-stemmed plants, as wheat, rye, oats, 

 and barley, and the legumes, such as alfalfa, clover, cowpeas, 

 and soy beans, when siloed alone do not keep well. Corn is 



the principal silo 

 crop because it pro- 

 duces a high yield, 

 matures at a suit- 

 able time, is easily 

 made into silage, and 

 keeps well. In the 

 subhumid regions, 

 sorghum, kafir, and 

 milo are used exten- 

 sively as silage crops 

 and with very satis- 

 factory results. In 

 these regions the 

 sorghums produce 

 larger yields than 

 corn and remain 

 longer in the proper 

 stage for siloing. 

 When properly made, 

 sorghum silage is 

 no more acid than 

 corn silage and is 

 greatly relished by 

 stock. 



327. Essentials of a silo. The walls of the silo must be as 

 nearly air-tight as possible and should be perpendicular and 

 smooth so that the silage may settle easily and evenly. The 

 silo should be strong enough to withstand the pressure of the 

 silage and of heavy winds. The silo may be constructed of 

 wood (Figs. 118 and 121), iron, tile (Figs. 119 and 122), brick, 



FIG. 121. The construction of a wooden silo 



