surface. On account of the enormous weight of its contents, the 

 structure should be well reinforced, otherwise it is liable to crack and 

 bulge. 



A silo preserves green fodder such as corn (both stalk and ear), 

 alfalfa, clover, soy beans, cow peas, or any vegetation for stock-feeding, 

 just as the Mason jar preserves fruit and vegetables for the family. 



While many rough stock foods can be preserved, corn is utilized to a 

 greater extent than all other crops. Corn stover and ears in a green 

 state are chopped in small pieces and placed in the silo and made com- 

 pact by tramping. The tramping, however, is confined to the edges, 

 as the weight of the mass keeps the body well packed. After it is 

 placed, fermentation takes place. The process is carried on by acid 

 bacteria that preserve and fix the food ingredients. After fermenta- 

 tion has taken place, the silage has a slightly tart taste and is extremely 

 succulent and appetizing. 



Food Value of the Corn Plant 



The entire corn plant has a feeding value, but it is to be regretted 

 that at least one-third of its value is lost unless it is preserved in a silo. 

 Sixty per cent of its food value is in the ear and forty per cent in the 

 stalk. If the corn is husked and the stalk left standing, approximately 

 eighty-two per cent of the weight and fifty-five per cent of the feeding 

 value is lost. If corn is shocked, the loss in weight is seventy-five per 

 cent and forty per cent in feeding value. If the corn is properly pre- 

 served in a well constructed silo, the loss is very little and the product 

 is nourishing and relished by all kinds of live-stock. 



When to Fill the Silo 



Corn should be placed in the silo at the time when the kernels are 

 beginning to dent or glaze, and other fodders previously mentioned 

 before the stems pass into the woody stage. If the fodder is too green 

 and too full of moisture, there is danger of rotting. If the crops are too 

 ripe and dry, fermentation does not take place unless water is applied 

 to the mass. 



A silo must be free from cracks and crevices, or in other words, air 

 tight below the top of the silage. If air is admitted below the surface, 

 putrefactive bacteria produce a rotting which causes the silage to become 

 mouldy and worthless. Smooth inside walls and well packed edges 

 preclude air spaces within the mass, a matter of great importance if a 

 uniformly well preserved food is secured. Pea and soy bean vines, 

 clover and alfalfa, should be cut and left on the ground until wilted 

 before being placed in the silo with corn, unless the corn is quite well 

 matured. In that event, it is best to store them as soon as cut, for 

 they furnish the needed moisture to start fermentation. Nitrogenous 

 plants such as the legumes, when mixed with corn in the proportion 



