254 



THE ESSENTIALS OF AGRICULTURE 



329. Proportions and size of silo to use. The quantity of silage 

 required and diameter of silo adapted to herds of different size 

 are given in the following figures : 



330. The capacity of round silos. The number of days that 

 silage will need to be fed varies in different regions, on differ- 

 ent farms in the same region, and on the same farm in dif- 

 ferent seasons, but the safe plan is to estimate the maximum 

 time required, and build the silo to meet this demand. On 

 most farms one hundred and eighty days will be the limit of the 

 silage-feeding period, although on some of the best-managed 

 dairy farms silage is fed every day in the year. A cubic foot of 

 silage weighs from twenty to sixty pounds, according to the 

 crop from which it is made, the amount of moisture it con- 

 tains, and the depth of the silo. In computing the capacity 

 of silos silage is usually estimated to weigh forty pounds per 

 cubic foot. 



1 Where more than four hundred tons of silage are required, the use of two 

 silos is generally advisable. 



