64 SILOS; ENSILAGE AND SILAGE. 



is being fed out ; and, moreover, this involves an unnec- 

 essary expenditure of labor in feeding, particularly in 

 cutting down and handling the fodder at a disadvantage. 

 It would be better to make the proportions of the silo so 

 that, by feeding from one end, or from the entire top 

 surface, a fresh layer would be exposed every time the 

 animals are fed. On the whole, several small silos will 

 be found more convenient, so far as the economy of 

 feed and labor is concerned, than one very large one of 

 equivalent capacity, and these should be of such propor- 

 tions as to require several inches in depth of the exposed 

 silage to be removed each time the animals are fed. 



Uniformity in the quality of the feed will thus be 

 secured, with a minimum loss of nutritive materials. 

 The small silos have also advantages in the process of 

 filling, as will be noticed hereafter. The number of 

 animals to be fed will thus have an influence in deter- 

 mining the dimensions of the silo in transverse section. 



The walls of the silo may be 12, 14 or 16 feet high, 

 and it will seldom be advisable to exceed the latter fig- 

 ure. Silos with walls from 20 to 30 feet high have been 

 made, but without any apparent advantage. 



The weight of a cubic foot of silage will vary with the 

 condition of the crop when put into the silo, the depth 

 of the silage, and the pressure applied when it is cov- 

 ered. From 35 to 50 Ibs. per cubic foot will represent 

 the range of variation reported, and 40 Ibs. may be 

 safely assumed as the weight of a cubic foot in approxi- 

 mately estimating the storage capacity of the silo. 



It is better to err on the safe side in estimates of the 

 amount of feed stored in the silo, when the actual 

 weight is not determined at the time of filling. A con- 

 siderable settling of the silage takes place after the silo 

 is filled, and allowance must be made for this in estimat- 

 ing the storage capacity of the silo. 



From the data presented, a silo 12x16 feet should hold 



