FREEZING OP SILAGE. 189 



to the development of the fungus. Care in cutting the material 

 evenly and in tramping and packing to expel the air will largely 

 avoid this mold. 



Freezing of Silage. 



Freezing of silage has sometimes been a, source of annoyance 

 and loss to farmers in Northern states, and in the future, with 

 the progress of the stave silo, we shall most likely hear more 

 about frozen silage than we have in the past. As stated in the 

 discussion of the stave silo, however, the, freezing of silage must 

 be considered an inconvenience rather than a positive detriment; 

 when the silage is thawed out it is eaten with the same relish 

 by stock as is silage that has never been frozen, and apparently 

 with equally good results. If frozen silage is not fed out directly 

 after thawed it will spoil and soon become unfit to be used for 

 cattle food; thawed silage will spoil much sooner than ordinary 

 silage that has not been frozen and thawed out. There is no evi- 

 dence that silage which has been frozen and slowly thawed out 

 is less palatable or nutritious than silage of the same kind which 

 has been kept free from frost. 



Frozen silage should be avoided, not because it is unwhole- 

 some, but because it is too cold. The warmer the silage can be 

 kept the more palatable it will be and the less energy will be 

 required to raise it to the body temperature of the animals. 

 Frozen silage also has a tendency to make^ the cows laxative, 

 but not overmuch. It does not seem to bring down the milk 

 flow as might be supposed. Sheep seem to be affected more read- 

 ily than cattle by eating it and they are also more susceptible to 

 the effects of moldy or spoiled silage. 



"Freezing of silage," says Iowa State College Bulletin No. 100, 

 "is due to loss of heat; first, through the silo wall; and second, 

 to the air in contact with the feeding surface. 



"It may be impartially said that, as far as the prevention 

 of freezing is concerned, the stave, stone, single wall brick and 

 concrete silos are of about equal merit. 



"The second cause of freezing mentioned, that is, the loss of 

 heat from the silage surface, is too often the cause of unnecessary 

 freezing. If air above the silage is confined, no serious loss of 

 heat can possibly take place. When the top of the silo is open 

 and a free circulation of air permitted, it is almost impossible 

 to prevent the surface from freezing in severe weather. A per- 



