108 BOARD OF AGRICrLTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



provement, and yet no one seems to know of a stave silo 

 which has ever been worn ont. For twenty or more years 

 stave silos have been in use, and so far as can be learned they 

 are, where properly constructed, just as good to-day as when 

 they were built. Jf a stave silo is good for twenty-five 

 or thirty years, even though it must then be replaced, it is 

 more economical than a concrete or brick silo. The money 

 representing the difference in cost between the two types of 

 silos, if placed in a bank at 4 per cent interest, would at the 

 end of twenty years have won enough dividends to more than 

 pay for the construction of a hew stave silo. I make this 

 statement with reference to silos in spite of the fact that the 

 Massachusetts Agricultural (Ndlege has two concrete silos, 

 and is apparently well satisfied with the results. Recently, 

 in discussing the matter of silo construction, and advising that 

 the base of the silo be on the level with the feeding floor, and 

 that it is not usually advisable to dig a hole in which to set 

 the silo, I was informed that this pit in the ground was 

 necessary in order to hold the juices of the silage and prevent 

 their waste. If the corn is allowed to come to that degree of 

 maturity to which it should come, there will be no visible 

 juice to be preserved, for it will all be mixed with the silage. 

 As a better quality of hay is secured where the grass is not 

 allowed to come to full maturity before being cut, it was sup- 

 posed that corn would also make a better quality of silage if 

 it were harvested before it came to maturity, and it is diffi- 

 cult to overcome the practice established during the early 

 years of ensilaging corn. It is rather unfortunate that our 

 local fairs and State fairs all over New England are held 

 during the month of corn harvest. Of course the farmer and 

 his sons and all the hired men must go to the fair, and this 

 fi-equontly means that the corn is harvested and silos filled 

 in order that this work shall not come along to interfere with 

 the attendance at the fairs. Better take the risk of a slight 

 frost and let the corn come to maturity than put it away when 

 it is green and lacking in its fullest development. While 

 corn and corn products alone do not make a perfect ration for 

 farm animals, nor the stalk nor the grain contain that degree 



