HOW SILAGE IS MADE 85 



per cent moisture. When dry (13 per cent moisture) many thou- 

 sand bushels may be safely stored in a tight bin. 



Shrinkage of Corn in Curing. There are two causes of shrink- 

 age in stored corn, (1) loss of water, (2) loss of dry matter. During 

 the first 12 months after harvest ear corn will lose from 5 to 20 per 

 cent in weight, depending principally on how dry when husked. 

 Air-dry corn one year old will have from 10 to 14 per cent moisture, 

 depending on the climate. After that the degree of moisture will 

 vary with the degree of moisture in the air. It has been noted that 

 corn shipped from a very dry climate to a more humid one, would 

 actually gain in weight in transit. 



There is also another loss due to the very slow decomposition or 

 oxidation of dry matter, amounting to 1 to 3 per cent in a year. 



In silos this loss of dry matter is very high, amounting in some 

 cases to as much as 20 per cent. In fodder corn, in addition to some 

 oxidation that may take place, there is always considerable loss of 

 leaves in handling. Ordinarily, the loss in fodder corn before it is 

 fed amounts to 10 to 20 per cent. 



Cost of Producing Corn. When the Prairie States were first 

 broken up, corn was produced very cheaply in the corn belt. The 

 yields were large with a minimum of labor. Data taken in the corn 

 belt from 1885-1895 show an acre cost of '$6 to $8 and a bushel cost 

 of about 20 cents. From 1895 to 1905 various records show the 

 acre cost to be $10 to $14, and bushel cost from 24 to 30 cents. In 

 the eastern States the cost has always been much higher than this, 

 ranging from 40 to 50 cents per bushel. 



Data collected by the U. S. Department of Agriculture for the 

 year 1909, show an average cost for the United States of 37.9 cents 

 per bushel, while for Illinois and Iowa, the two leading corn States, 

 the bushel cost was 31 and 30 cents, respectively. 



How Silage is Made. Vegetable matter is caused to decay 

 through the presence of bacteria or molds. Two methods are used 

 to preserve materials, (1) by drying, as moisture is necessary for 

 growth of bacteria or molds, (2) by heating to destroy, and some 

 preservative to keep out the organisms. 



The preservation of silage is by the latter method. The green 

 forage is usually cut into short lengths, of one inch or less, so it will 



