92 FIELD CROPS 



not always be relied upon even then. The next cheapest 

 feed, so far as cost of production is concerned, is clover or 

 alfalfa hay, and this is followed by corn fodder. 



Neither pasture nor the ordinary hay crops are as certain 

 to yield profitably as is a well-cultivated corn crop. Stock 

 raisers are rapidly realizing that corn is the most reliable 

 grain and roughage crop and that the most satisfactory 

 way of storing a good portion of this crop, where it is to be 

 fed on the farm, is by means of a silo. The silo has been 

 shown to help very effectively in cases of shortage of pasture 

 and failure of clover and other hay crops. Corn silage is not 

 only a sure crop, but it is a very palatable, nutritious, suc- 

 culent feed, that supplies, throughout the winter and during 

 dry times in the summer, much the same feed conditions as 

 are afforded by good pastures. 



108. The Production of Silage. Corn for silage may be 

 grown on any good, tillable land, especially any land that is 

 well adapted to the production of an ordinary corn crop. 

 Corn for silage is most commonly grown in the same manner 

 as corn for grain, though those who have had most experience 

 with silage plant about one-half thicker, either in drills or in 

 hills, than for ear corn. The cultivation of corn for silage is 

 the same as that commonly given to corn for grain. 



The varieties of corn that seem to give best results in 

 the production of silage in a given locality are usually those 

 that give the best yields of grain. As good silage can be 

 made only from corn that is practically mature, it is unwise 

 to use any of the large, coarse-growing varieties in sections 

 where they can not complete their growth. 



109. Harvesting for Silage. When the corn is ripe 

 enough to cut and shock for ear corn, or when the ears are 

 well dented but before the leaves and stalks are dry, it is 

 ready for the silo. It is commonly cut with a corn binder, 



