HARVESTING 



29 



is in the stalk, this manner of harvesting corn should be 

 discouraged. 



Corn is often cut, shocked, hauled to the barn when needed, 

 and run through the feed cutter so as to put it in convenient 

 form for feeding. In other instances it is fed whole with 

 ear and stalk. One 

 of the most conven- 

 ient ways of saving 

 a large quantity of 

 forage for farm stock 

 is in the form of 

 silage. The corn is 

 harvested at the time 

 when the kernels are 

 glazed and some of 

 the lower leaves have 

 turned brown. At 

 this particular stage 

 the highest feeding 

 value can be ob- 

 tained from the corn. 



Silage corn is 

 drawn directly from 

 the field and run 

 through the feed 

 cutter set to cut about an inch in length. It is put into 

 the silo by elevator or blower and firmly packed to exclude 

 air. If the corn is somewhat dry when run into the silo, 

 water should be used to moisten it. 



Silage will keep for a year or more and is greatly relished 

 by all farm animals, especially dairy cows. Siloing corn is 

 the most economical way of putting up large quantities of 



Fig. 1 6. Filling a silo. 



