CATTLE PRODUCTION 37 



sary for the weight of a man is small compared to the weight of the silage. 

 Silos that are deep and of small diameter require less tramping than those of 

 larger dimensions. Two competent men in a silo who understand the importance 

 of securing well packed silage are insurance against loss. 



Sealing the Surface. It is not necessary to put on any cover after fill- 

 ing is completed. A few inches of the top will always spoil. If the ears are re- 

 moved from the last few loads of corn nothing will be lost except the fodder. If 

 there happens to be some refuse close by such as weeds, slew grass, or waste 

 from the barn floor, to put on, the saving will pay for the extra labor. The usual 

 practice of sealing is to wet down the surface immediately after filling and to 

 tramp thoroughly several times during the first week. By this method a seal of 

 rotten silage will form on the top and only a few inches will be spoiled. This 

 crust should not be broken until feeding begins when all the spoiled silage should 

 be removed and discarded. 



The silo should be well ventilated until heating and fermentation is over. 



Silage from Sugar Beet Tops and Shock Corn. Sugar beet tops and shock 

 corn have been successfully cut up together for silage at the University of Wis- 

 consin. The silage had a slightly stronger odor than the ordinary corn silage 

 but was not offensive. Cows relished it and did as well on it as they did on regular 

 corn silage. Chemical analysis showed that this silage had practically the same 

 feeding value as clear corn silage. Professor Henry states that the leaves of sugar 

 beets have about half the feeding value of the roots. Taking into consideration 

 this fact one is impressed with the importance of utilizing the beet tops for feed. 

 Making them into silage with corn fodder proved so satisfactory that it seems 

 worth while to publish the fact as a suggestion to the many farmers who grow 

 large crops of sugar beets and who are undoubtedly facing the problem of how 

 best to utilize the tops for feeding purposes. 



After the beets were removed from the field, the tops which had been left 

 in small piles were run through an ensilage cutter into the silo with about an 

 equal quantity of corn fodder taken from the shock. By throwing beet tops onto 

 a large layer of corn and running both through the cutter together, no difficulty 

 was experienced in 1 getting the beet tops cut. Enough water was added to the cut 

 material to give it proper moisture and make it pack well when two men tramped 

 it during the time of filling. 



The Dairy Barn. No cow can be kept in a healthy condition in a dark, 

 poorly ventilated stable. Sunlight is a disinfectant and insures healthy cows and 

 conditions under which milk can be produced in a most satisfactory manner. 

 Barns 36 feet wide and extending lengthwise north and south are best lighted. 

 Four to six square feet of window sash should be provided for each cow. The 

 stable should be properly ventilated and kept clean as well as supplied with plenty 

 of light. The King system of ventilation which provides a circulation of fresh air 

 and at the' same time renders the stable comfortably warm, is highly recom- 

 mended. This system admits air through flues with opening into the stable near 

 the ceiling, and draws the stable air out through another set of flues with openings 

 from the stable near the floor of the stable. The Rutherford system of having 



