SILOS 



135 



green corn to the silage cutter. The one represented 

 in Fig 37 has been used by the Wisconsin experi- 

 ment station and by many practical farmers. The 

 running gears of an old wagon may be utilized. The 

 stringers are four by eight inches and eighteen or 

 twenty feet long. They can be connected to the front 

 axle and held in place by means of an elongated king- 

 bolt provided with a nut and washer. From the back 

 axle they are suspended by means of two three-fourths- 

 inch bolts with washers below and hooks above. The 

 wagon hounds are kept from tipping up by means of 

 a short piece of two-inch oak board extending from 



Fig 37— Low Wagon for Handling Silage Corn 



the kingbolt to the back standards. The floor is usually 

 made of inch oak boards. 



Cutting for Silo — Corn is conveyed to the ma- 

 chine and there cut into one-inch and one and one-half- 

 inch lengths. Some feeders prefer one-half and three- 

 fourths-inch lengths, but these are liable to cause sore- 

 ness of the mouth in cattle, particularly if the material 

 is hard. The cut corn is elevated or blown into the silo. 

 Care must be taken to have it evenly distributed. If a 

 conical heap is allowed to form in the center, the 

 heavier portions, such as the butts and pieces of ears, 

 roll to the outside and the lighter portions remain in 

 the middle. This results in an uneven distribution of 

 the silage, which is very undesirable. Keep this heap 

 raked down, or by means of a flexible tube of some 



