July, 1933] 



Roughage Production in New Hampshire 



25 



Table 20. 



Type of 

 wagon 



Labor required in hauling silage and filling silo, comparing special low 

 racks with other means of hauling. 



Number 

 of farms 



Total 

 acres 



Total 

 tons 



Total Hours Hours 

 hours per acre per ton 



Special 

 low rack 



Other means 

 of hauling 



120 



1136.5 



161 960.88 



(160 filling silo) 



13734 Loading and hauling 20258.2 

 Filling silo 16810.5 



10841 Loading and hauling 20011.9 

 Filling silo 18315.6 



Loading should ordinarily start at the back, piling the corn as high 

 as necessary to make a load, butts all on the side of the wagon that will 

 be next the cutter. Two men per wagon are sufficient. Carry only 3 

 or 4 rows of corn, letting the team step ahead more frequently to re- 

 duce man carrying to a minimum. Level cultivation makes this oper- 

 ation still easier. 



Filling labor can also be materially lessened where corn is bound 

 and low wagons are used as suggested. Some of the advantages are 

 not shown in Table 19 because of extra and excess men at the cutter 

 and in the silo. The practice is all too common of cutting and remov- 

 ing bands from bound corn requiring an extra man at the cutter. Ordi- 

 narily, with the low racks and the recommended size of cutter for the 

 usual farm, the teamster can feed out his own load. This would make 

 possible a still greater saving over high rack or tip cart methods with 

 loose corn. Several growers have entirely eliminated the man in the 

 silo, even in square silos. The silage must be directed into the center 

 of the round silo and successively into the four corners of the square 

 silo. This plan will not work as well with corn where a part of the 

 leaves are dry. A very large number have reduced the labor in the 

 silo to the time between loads, or even twice a day. This has some dis- 

 advantages in that the pockets made in the loose silage by insufficient 

 tramping will later develop a red mold because of the presence of im- 

 prisoned air. Experience seems to indicate that no one in the silo gives 

 best results, with thoroughly tramped silage next, and part time level- 

 ing least satisfactory. Size of silo up to 16 feet in diameter seems to 

 have no influence on keeping quality under this system. 



With some exchange and cooperation 214 cutters filled the silos on 

 the 281 farms. Width of cutter varied from 9 to 17 inches. (Table 

 21) Small-sized cutters 9-10 inches were used on 38 farms. Because 

 of the inclusion of tractors, and because tractors are more frequently 

 hired or exchanged, the horse power available is higher than necessary. 



