Filling the Silo 221 



superior to that from the immature plant. Neither are 

 satisfactory results secured from material that is over- 

 dry. It may be stated in general terms that the best 

 results are obtained when the proportion of dry matter 

 falls between 25 per cent and 30 per cent. If corn is 

 harvested for the silo after the kernels have begun to 

 glaze, while the leaves are still green and before they 

 show dryness, other conditions being favorable, it will 

 meet every requirement for good silage. 



Whether the material with which a silo is filled shall 

 be put in whole or after cutting or shredding depends 

 to quite an extent upon its degree of coarseness. It is 

 probable that clover, and even the smaller varieties of 

 maize, are often successfully preserved without cutting, 

 but no one professes that this can be done with the 

 coarser varieties of maize. It is generally admitted 

 that, with maize, cutting or shredding it increases the 

 probability of satisfactory preservation, because the 

 finer mechanical condition allows more uniform pack- 

 ing and prompter and more uniform settling. The 

 highest grade of silage with the minimum loss is 

 undoubtedly more surely made from cut or shredded 

 material. 



In the early days of silos it was taught that to 

 insure the least possible waste by fermentation, the silo 

 should be filled with the maximum rapidity and then 

 promptly weighted. Following this view was the con- 

 clusion on the part of some that very slow filling with 

 no packing other than that given by the weight of the 

 mass, was the proper way to make silage of the highest 

 quality. This method was advocated for producing 



