20 ADVANTAGES OF THE SILO. 



If the corn. has suffered from drought and heat during 

 the fall months, it is quite essential to wet the corn either 

 as it goes into the silo, or when this has all been filled, in 

 order to secure a good quality of silage; and unless the 

 corn is very green when it goes into the silo, the addi- 

 tion of water, or water on the corn from rain or dew, will 

 do no harm. If the corn is too dry when put into the silo, 

 the result will be dry mold, which is prevented by the 

 addition of the water, which replaces that which has dried 

 out previous to filling if this has been delayed. 



A common practice among successful siloists is to 

 fill the silo when the lower leaves of the standing corn 

 have dried up about half way to the ears. Generally, the 

 corn will be in about the proper condition at that time, 

 and there will still be moisture enough left in the plants 

 eo that the silage will come out in first-class condition. 



There must be moisture enough* in the corn at time 

 of filling the silo, so that the heating processes, which take 

 place soon after, and which expel a considerable portion 

 of the moisture, can take place, and still leave the corn 

 moist after cooling, when the silage will remain in prac- 

 tically a uniform condition for several years if left 

 undisturbed. But if, on account of over-ripeness, frosts, or 

 excessive drought, the corn is drier than stated, it should 

 be made quite wet as stated above, and there is little 

 danger of getting it too wet. The writer has filled silo 

 with husked cbrn fodder about Christmas, and as the 

 fodder was thoroughly dried, a ^-inch pipe was connected 

 with an overhead tank in the barn and arranged to dis- 

 charge into the carrier of the cutter as the cutting took 

 place, a No. 18 Ohio cutter being used for that purpose. 

 Although the full stream was discharged, and with con- 

 siderable force, on account of the elevation of the tank, 

 and the cut fodder in the silo still further wet on top with 

 a long hose attached to a wind force pump, it was found, 

 on opening the silo a month later, that none too much 

 water had been used; the fodder silage came out in good, 

 condition, was eaten greedily by the milch cows, and 



