14 Concrete Silos 



290 pounds of fat, 485 pounds of sugar, 340 pounds 

 of protein and 75 pounds of ash. Therefore, it is evi- 

 dent that the cow must consume large quantities of 

 succulent feed to produce milk economically. The 

 grass in summer provides her with such feed, but if 

 the farmer is without a silo his cows are deprived of 

 succulent feed for winter use. No man keeping six or 

 more cows can afford to be without a silo, regardless of 

 its first cost. 



Today the silo is no longer an experiment, and prac- 

 tically all the leading dairymen of the country are 

 using them. Some seven or eight thousand new silos 

 have been built in Iowa alone during the past year, 

 which is sufficient evidence that they are a success. 

 We are not suffering today in the rural districts for 

 the want of finding new things so much as we are for 

 the simple application of the things we already know. 

 Practically every farmer admits that the silo is a good 

 thing, but he puts off until tomorrow what he should 

 do today, and the waste of crop continues from year 

 to year. In the corn belt where stalks are allowed to 

 stand in the field, 40 per cent of the crop is wasted. 

 It has been estimated that an acre of corn put up in a 

 silo has a value of $45, while the same standing in the 

 field and husked has a value of $27. Thus it can be 

 seen that the silo nearly doubles the value of the corn 

 crop. 



In feeding silage with alfalfa or clover hay we 

 have practically a balanced ration all raised on the 

 farm. Experiments have been conducted at the Kan- 

 sas and other stations which show that the grain ra- 

 tion can be cut down one-half the usual amount where 

 alfalfa or clover hay and silage are fed. Silage always 

 plays a prominent part in the economical ration of most 

 farm animals, and may the day be not far distant 

 when the silo will be as common a sight on the Iowa 

 farm as the corn crib is today. 



In the Central West corn is hailed as the king of 

 all cereals, forming the backbone of the rations of the 

 majority of our farm animals. By placing corn in the 



