(a). The farmer who has a silo is about as independent of 

 the weather as any man can be. Heavy rain, it is true, will pre- 

 vent the storage of ensilage, but, aside from rain, nothing in- 

 terrupts this kind of harvesting: light rain and showers, while 

 making the work disagreeable, do not put a stop to it necessari- 

 ly, and when once in the silo all danger of imperfect curing, 

 which so often injures the crop harvested in the old way, is past. 



(b). The season is practically lengthened from two to three 

 weeks, since it is not desirable to have the corn for the silo much 

 past the "boiling or roasting" stage, hence, a variety may be 

 planted for this purpose, which stands no show for ripening, even' 

 one year in ten, and as the later varieties of corn are of larger 

 growth and produce more actual food per acre, this gain is by 

 no means unimportant in the more northern parts of New Hamp- 

 shire. Again, if from unfavorable weather in May, planting is 

 delayed, as already stated, until the first days of June, there is 

 very little risk connected with the crop for the silo, where a crop 

 for husking would be almost certain to be cut off by the fall frosts. 



(d). The early date at which the land is cleared makes it 

 possible to either seed down to grass or winter grain. Corn for 

 the silo should be stored at about the same time at which corn for 

 h usking should be stocked, and as the stocked corn must dry 

 out for about a month before husking can begin, it follows, that 

 practically the whole of this time is gained for working the land 

 for the next crop. 



(e). The cost of harvesting, provided the crop is planted 

 within reasonable distance of the silo, is reduced to a low point. 

 It is true a large bulk of water has to be handled, and very 

 much depends upon the conveniences for handling; an attempt 

 was made to determine the lowest cost at which ensilage might 

 be handled per acre and per ton with steam power for cutting 

 and elevating into silo, and with an abundance of help, on a two 

 acre field, the average distance of which was seventy rods from 

 the silo, with ihe following results : 



Cutting the corn in field, per acre, $2.00 



Loading and drawing to barn, 3.75 



Cutting and packing in silo, 2.40 



Use of engine and cutter, 1.25 



Yield per acre, 15 tons. Total cost, ^9.40 



Cost, per ton, 62^ 



5 



