SILOS, ENSILAGE AND SILAGE. 65 



from 46 to 56 tons ; one of 12x24 feet over 80 tons ; one 

 of 14x32 feet over 125 tons ; and one of 16x38 feet over 

 170 tons. In the reports on feeding silage the amount 

 fed to a cow per day 'is usually stated at from 40 to 60 

 Ibs. when supplemented with other feed, and 50 Ibs. per 

 day will perhaps fairly represent the average. 



At this rate a cow would consume 1,500 Ibs., or three- 

 fourths of a ton, in 30 days, and 20 cows would require 

 half a ton a day, or 15 tons in 30 days. The 56 tons 

 which may be stored in a 12x16 feet silo would therefore 

 serve as the silage ration of 20 cows for over 3 1-2 

 months. Such calculations, as a matter of course, will 

 only serve to indicate approximately the amount of 

 silage that may be fed, under fairly good management, 

 and the storage capacity of the silo required for its 

 preservation, as much will depend upon the animals to 

 which it is fed, the complementary food supply, and 

 the system of feeding practiced. 



LOCATION OF THE SILO. 



Much ingenuity has been displayed in building silos 

 under the floor of the stable, in the side of a sloping 

 bank, or partly below the levol of the stable floor, but 

 most of these plans are based on mistaken notions of 

 what constitutes economy in the ensilage of green fodder. 

 Silos that are below, or partly below the surface of the 

 ground, may be easily filled, but the manual labor 

 involved in raising the mass of silage to the level of the 

 feeding floor is an unanswerable objection to this plan of 

 construction. 



As the green fodder, both before and after it is placed 

 in the silo, contains a large proportion of water, and is 

 therefore heavy to handle, the economy of labor in its 

 management is an important consideration, if the largest 



benefit is to be derived from the process. Attention to 

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