46 SILAGE SYSTEM MAINTAINS FERTILITY. 



said, will insure the maximum supply of splendid fertiliz- 

 ing material. 



But the silo does more it converts the farm into a 

 factory as it were i. e., it will become a creator of a fin- 

 ished or more nearly finished product instead of being the 

 producer of a mere raw material. The effect will be to 

 raise proportionately the price of every commodity offered 

 for sale. 



"On the ordinary farm which markets cereal crops 

 only a part is ever sufficiently fertile to return a profit. 

 The other acres must be put by to regain fertility and are 

 so much dead capital while they are made ready for a 

 further effort. Not so with a farm devoted to beef as the 

 market crop. Every acre of it may be seen producing 

 year after year in an increasing ratio, and occasional 

 crops such as potatoes which while they need a rich 

 soil for their development yet draw but lightly on fertility 

 and are very useful as cleaning crops will yield bumper 

 profits in cash." 



This statement applies with full force to what is an- 

 other very desirable attribute of the silo and the silage 

 system that it will so increase the live stock of the farm 

 that many of the products heretofore sold in a raw state, 

 and which contain, and therefore carry away most of the 

 fertility of the farm, may now be fed at home. 



A few examples will best serve to illustrate this state- 

 ment: 



The fertilizing constituents in a ton of clover hay, as 

 above stated, amount nominally to $10.55. This would 

 mean then that every time the farmer sells a ton of clover 

 hay, he sells $10.55 worth of fertility. So much fertility 

 has gone from the farm forever. It would most certainly 

 be wise to feed the clover at home as a balance to the sil- 

 age ration, thereby keeping the fertility on the farm, and 

 making at the same time some finished product, as cream, 

 milk, butter, cheese or beef, the sale of which will not 

 carry away from the farm any great amount of fertility. 



