FEEDING ANIMALS 135 



to silo, your first filling will have been fed out. The opinion is be- 

 coming more general, however, that even if corn cannot be grown, a 

 silo will pay the alfalfa grower who has live stock, on account of the 

 benefits above recited. 



Oats and Barley for Silo. 



Can I silo a mixed crap of red oats and barley, and at what stage 

 of its growth would it make the best ensilage? Would it make a palat- 

 able feed for milch cows? 



A good quality of silage may be made from the cereals by cutting 

 the grain when the kernels are past the milk stage. The green grain 

 is run through a feed-cutter with the least possible delay, and cut 

 into inch or inch and a half lengths, the cut mass being elevated into 

 the silo by means of a blower and carefully distributed and tramped 

 down in the silo, especially along the wall. A cement tamper is a 

 convenient aid in packing the green mass in the silo so that the air is 

 excluded so far as practicable, which is a most important part in the 

 making of silage. If the cutting of the grain is delayed till towards 

 maturity very satisfactory silage can also be secured by adding considerable 

 water, either in the blower as the cut mass is elevated into the silo, or 

 in the silo itself, after each load. The mass should be wet down so 

 that it will contain approximately the amount of water found in the 

 grain at the time the kernels are in the milk stage. Both oats and 

 barley, as well as a mixed crop of these grains, siloed in the manner 

 stated, will make a good quality of silage of a light brownish color 

 and pleasantly acidulated odor, which will be greatly relished by cattle 

 and other farm animals; twenty to twenty-five pounds is an average 

 feed per day for dairy cows or fattening steers. With modern tall 

 silos there is no difficulty in making good silage from the small grains 

 that are run through a cutter and packed well in the silo, as sug- 

 gested. F. W. W. 



Size and Capacity of Silos. 



/ expect to build a silo and would like to know the size best 

 suited to my needs. I have 25 cows at present and will increase to 

 50 or 60. / will put in first cutting alfalfa then refill with corn. What 

 kind of corn is best, and how many acres should I plant? 



It is impossible to state the exact size of a silo to be constructed 

 for a given number of cows as variation in the size of the animals will 

 determine whether each cow is to receive 24, 30 or 40 pounds daily. 

 It is better to have the diameter of the silo small enough to make 

 possible the feeding of about two inches from all over the top each day, 

 as this keeps the top of the silage from drying out and molding. In 

 the following table it is assumed that each cow will consume thirty 

 pounds of silage daily, but in building your silo you should add about 

 five feet to the height to allow for settling, as the following figures are 

 based on actual measurements of the silage after settling has taken 

 place. 



