SILOS AND SILAGE. 



11 



DISTRIBUTER. 



Most blowers are supplied with a jointed distributing-pipe. (Fig. 3.) If a 

 distributer is not attached, more labour is necessary in the silo to ensure a thorough 

 mixing of the heavy and light parts of the corn-plant. 



By using the jointed distributing-pipe shown in 

 the accompanying figure, the presence of one man 

 in the silo, distributing and tramping, is all that 

 is required for that purpose. This one man may, 

 with one hand on the distributer, direct the finely 

 cut material to any part of the silo desired. The 

 method most generally adopted by the man in the 

 silo in such cases is to hold the distributing-pipe 

 in front of him and walk around the silo, tramping 

 the material into place as it leaves the pipe. In 

 this -way the need of extra labour, -tools, etc., in 

 the silo, to ensure the equal distribution of the 

 corn, is eliminated. 



As previously mentioned, the advisability of using 

 water in the ensiling of corn, clover, or other crops 

 has been much discussed. Ordinarily, the only 

 times that water may conveniently be applied are 

 cither after the silo has been filled or after the 

 cutting of each load. In the latter case it would 

 necessitate a waste of time and additional equip- 

 ment which the majority of farmers do not possess. 

 The amount of water to add is a debatable ques- 

 tion. The crop being cut for silage varies in mois- 

 ture content according to the degree of maturity 

 and wilting. Loads will often vary in moisture 

 content, in which case it is obviously impossible 

 to gauge the exact quantity of water which should 

 be applied after the silo has been filled. In the use 

 of a distributing-pipe lies the solution of this 

 problem. A small stream of water just sufficient 

 to moisten the cut material to the right degree of 

 dampness may be run into the blower. By so 

 doing the cut corn or clover becomes uniformly 

 (lamp on its way to the silo, it is heavier, and packs 

 more easily. The distributer controls the distribu- 

 tion of the wet material and adds to the comfort 

 of the person inside the silo. 



The cost of the jointed distributing-pipe is small, 

 but to avoid even this additional expenditure one 

 might make a distributer with canvas or jute sacks 

 by ripping out the bottoms and joining them up to 

 form a canvas chute. 



Fig. 3. Jointed-pipe silage 

 distributer. 



The secret of making good silage is to have all the air excluded. For this 

 reason the corn must not be too dry, and one or two men in the silo should be kept 

 busy distributing and tramping. When filling, the material around the wall should 

 be kept higher than the rest and thoroughly tramped. Otherwise moulding around 

 the edge is apt to result. 



The preservation of silage is due to three factors pressure, heat, and acid. 

 The pressure excludes the air. The heat due to fermentation pasteurizes the silage, 

 killing many of the spoiling moulds. The acid is also detrimental to many of the 

 spoiling moulds. 



