SILAGE— SOILAGE 



203 



After a few days the silage-making processes cease, and no appre- 

 ciable changes will take place so long as the air is excluded. In- 

 stances are on record where silage made 12 to 14 years before has been 

 found to be of excellent quality. Tho the conversion of sugar into 

 acids is the chief change in good silage, a considerable part of the 

 protein is also broken down into amino acids. Since this splitting of 

 the protein into simpler compounds is similar to digestion in the ani- 

 mal, it probably does not lessen the nutritive value. 



Fig. 58. — Silos have Revolutionized Stock Feeding in Many 



Districts 



The silo provides high-quality succulent feed for any season of the year, with a 

 low expense for labor and a minimum wastage of nutrients. 



Advantages of silage. — The widespread use of the silo for the 

 preservation of forage is easily explained when we consider the ad- 

 vantages this system offers, the more important of which are: 



1. At a low expense silage furnishes high-quality succulent feed 

 for any desired season of the year. The cost of silage per ton will 

 vary widely, depending on the price of labor, the yield of forage per 

 acre, and the rent of the land. However, when average yields are 

 secured the cost of corn silage should not be over $3.50 to $4.00 per 



