ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 157 



light and heavy parts of the corn throughout the silo. It 

 settled unevenly and did not drive out the air in the loose 

 parts. The last time I saw him he told me they had been more 

 careful in filling the last time, and had had no further trouble. 



Mr. Spies: It seems to me that a steel silo such as has 

 been talked about, built round, w^ould be like the brick silo in 

 respect to spoiling on the outside. 



Mr. Murphy: I think it would in our northern climates. 



Mr. Stewart: I don't think steel or iron would evaporate 

 water the same as brick, and that might stop the heat from 

 getting out. 



Mr. Murphy: You see, as a rule, we put up in the fall and 

 the nights, at any rate, would cool off the steel or iron and chill 

 the inside, so as to prevent the raising of the temperature to 

 cook that feed. The best silage looks as if it had been cooked, 

 and I think it is partially cooked. 



Mr. Stewart: Don't you think the farther along we get, the 

 more we come back to the old arrangement in England and 

 Scotland, where they cook all feed.? I think that is true myself, 

 but of course, it costs too much to cook it. 



Mr. Murphy: I am intending to cook my hog feed. I am 

 going to run a steam pipe under ground from my factory to my 

 hog house, and I expect to cook most of my feed. 



Mr. Stewart: I am satisfied that a bushel of grain, well 

 cooked, is as good as a bushel and a half raw. 



Mr. Murphy: One of my sons goes to the expense of cook- 

 ing his feed for his hogs and he says it pays him big. He has 

 not tried it for cattle. 



Mr. Spies: Up in Madison county, many of our large dairy- 

 men have a steam vat, they mix their feed, put their shredded 

 fodder or cut fodder into the vat and mix in all such feeds as 

 they expect to feed, except, of course, linseed meal. They steam 

 the entire outfit and they seem to have good results. The cows 

 want succulent feed. I doubt whether it is good policy to cook 

 the feed for hogs, but I will cook it for calves. 



Mr. Stewart: What is the life of the average wooden silo.? 



