BuEEATj or Ageiculttjke. 69 



than no silo at all. The question with the fanner is not 

 so mnch what kind of a silo he will have, but whether he 

 can erect one. The work of this department has in no 

 sense decreased the number of wooden silos purchased 

 annually in the State, but its educational campaign has, 

 on the other hand, very materially aided in increasing 

 the number of silos of each character erected. A reg- 

 ular contractor can usually keep busy an entire season 

 erecting cement silos in any community. The farmer 

 himself, with a little assistance, can erect his own cement 

 structure. For permanency, economy and satisfaction 

 we do not hesitate to recommend the Monolithic Silo to 

 the farmers of this State. The wooden silo may be 

 cheaper for the time being, it can be erected more hur- 

 riedly, and where durability is not a factor to be con- 

 sidered, may do just as well. But one out of every three 

 wooden silos blows down, and it is necessary from time 

 to time to tighten them, and they frequently become 

 twisted, and very often they are not air-tight. The tile 

 and metal silo are usually more expensive, and when all 

 things are considered, a farmer who builds a concrete 

 silo has a receptacle for green feed so long as he lives, 

 or so long as he may own the farm upon which the silo 

 is erected. 



The fact that the number of silos being erected in 

 Kentucky annually amount to about two thousand, 

 should be sufficient proof of their value. The use of 

 ensilage has a tendency to increase the number of live 

 stock kept throughout the winter, because of the fact 

 that the entire com crop when put in the silo is saved ; 

 because ensilage is fed without any great amount of 

 loss, even in the worst weather, and it makes the feed- 

 ing of live stock less difficult. It also encourages the 

 saving of manure, and this annual dressing of a few 

 acres on the average farm soon convinces the farmer 

 that it pays to feed the land. 



As stated in the Twentieth Biennial Eeport, "The 

 com crop of Kentucky, that is the grain from the com 

 crop for 1912, is given by the Department of Agricul- 

 ture at Washington as being worth in round numbers 

 sixty millions of dollars. The chemists tell us that the 

 feeding value of the stalks, blades, shucks, silks, tassels 



