THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



235 



the very best silage. Matured grain crops cannot al- 

 ways be relied on, while crops suitable for the silo 

 can. If all crops should fail, then Russian thistles or 

 other green weeds may be put into the silo. They will 

 produce splendid feed. 



2. (July little more than one-half of the nutrients 

 of corn is in the ear. Why not obtain good use of 

 the other half in the stalk by putting it into the silo?- 



3. Silage can be fed during the winter, during 

 the summer or during the whole year. It can be 

 kept over from a large crop season to a short crop 

 season. With one or more silos it is not necessary 

 to sell cows because of feed shortage. 



4. Silage is healthful for cows and for young 

 stock. Cows, freshening in the fall, and fed on silage 

 and alfalfa hay, make a combination of farming for 

 profit, and for sure and safe results, that is difficult 

 to beat under South Dakota conditions. 



5. The silo puts rough feeds into a form which 

 cows and other live stock can handle most economi- 

 cally. South Dakota is distantly removed from central 

 markets. To avoid expense of marketing our bulky 

 field crops, the roughage must be concentrated into 

 animal products. 



When the corn begins to dry up, then cut with 

 a corn binder. At this stage the lower part of the 

 stalk and leaves and inner part of the husk have 

 started to wilt, and about one-half of the kernels have 

 dented. This is the best stage at which to cut corn 

 for silage. It may, however, be cut at almost any 

 stage, and splendid feed results. 



In case of prolonged drouth, hail, early frost, or 

 late spring, it may be necessary to cut the corn crop, 

 and put it into the silo earlier. The most and the 

 best silage, however, results from normally matured 

 corn as described above. 



Dry corn fodder may be converted into a splendid 

 feed by cutting and putting it into the silo. Corn 

 fodder in this condition should have water added, as 

 it is packed into the silo. Care should be taken to have 

 all of it wetted uniformly so that no dry pockets 

 remain. If not uniformly moist, then there will be 

 pockets of moldy and spoiled silage. Additional pack- 

 ing is also necessary. The dry cut corn fodder is 

 lighter, and does not pack so well in the silo as does 

 green corn fodder. 



Do not tie the bundles of corn too large. The 

 corn binder should be adjusted to tie small bundles. 

 These handle easier, and they pass through the silage 

 cutter without much separation. 



These corn bundles may be hauled in a hay rack 

 having the sides and ends removed. A truck wagon 

 is handy. It obviates lifting the bundles too high. 



If the cornfield is close to the silo, the following 

 filling crew works economicallv : 



4 teams and men for hauling corn fodder. 



2 men in the field pitching bundles. 



1 man to help unload at the silage cutter. 



1 man distributing and packing silage in silo. 



1 man to look after gasoline engine and feed 

 cutter. 



Such a crew can cut about 80 tons of silage in 

 one day. 



One or two days after the silo has been filled, the 

 contents will have settled. If possible the filling 

 machinery should be left in place a couple of days so 

 that the silo can be refilled. 



During the first week after filling, the owner 

 should make it a point to go into the silo every day 

 and thoroughly tramp the silage down. Otherwise the 

 silage below will settle and leave the top part open or 

 porous. This admits air into the surface silage, and 

 causes it to spoil. It is a good plan to wet the surface 

 silage a little every day when the tramping is being 

 done. This will help to pack the top silage and 

 exclude air. 



In addition, cover the surface of the silage with 

 a layer of building paper. This, if properly put on, 

 helps to exclude air. 



Another surface covering used is cut straw. Run 

 a load of straw through the silage cutter the last thing. 

 Distribute this straw on the top of the silage, wet it 

 and tramp it down. 



Never feed any large amount of spoiled silage. 

 When the silo is opened the spoiled silage should be 

 hauled to some place where the cattle cannot obtain 

 access to it. Moldy and spoiled silage is likely to 

 poison the cows. 



Silage may be fed to all kinds of live stock, but 

 it is pre-eminently a feed for dairy cows. In order 

 to obtain the best possible results from a dairy cow, 

 a succulent feed of some kind must be fed. 



There are several kinds of succulent feeds suit- 

 able for cows. Green grass or pasture is probably the 

 best. Soiling crops, such as green alfalfa, green oats 

 and field peas, and green corn, etc., make good succu- 

 lent feeds for dairy cows. These latter crops cannot 

 be fed during the winter. They are especially suitable 

 for supplementing shortage of pasture during late 

 summer and fall. Considerable labor also is required 

 in feeding these crops extensively. Roots of the vari- 

 ous kinds are good succulent feeds for dairy cows, but 

 are expensive to raise. Besides, very few farmers in 

 South Dakota are prepared to keep roots and protect 

 them from frost during winter. 



Silage is cheap and healthful when properly fed, 

 handy to feed any time during the year, and crops for 

 silage can be grown anywhere in South Dakota. 



An average cow weighing about 1,000 pounds will 

 eat from 30 to 40 pounds per day. Silage alone should 

 not be fed to dairy cows. Corn silage is a fat and 

 heat producing food. It does not contain enough of 

 the milk and muscle producing elements. Corn silage, 

 alone, is not a balanced ration. Some hay, preferably 

 alfalfa, should be fed in connection with it. In addi- 

 tion to the 30 pounds of silage an average cow will 

 eat about 15 pounds of hay daily. 



All of the common feeds may be classified into 

 two groups : 



First: The feeds rich in fat and heat producing 

 substances (fats and carbohydrates). 



Second : The feeds rich in milk and muscle 

 producing substances (protein). 



The chief common feeds rich in fat and carbo- 

 hydrates are : 



Concentrates : Corn, barley, rye, wheat, speltz, 

 millet ; 



Roughages : Corn silage, corn fodder, prairie 

 hay, timothy hay. and millet, cane, milo-maize, kaffir 



corn. 



The chief common feeds rich in protein are: 

 (Continued on page 251) 



