FIFTY-THIRD ANNUAL CONVENTION 81 



lost in the fodder while if cured in small shocks the loss was 

 as much as 43 per cent and when allowed to cure in the field 

 the loss was 55 per cent. It is true that even when corn is 

 properly put into a silo there is some loss due to fermenta- 

 tion but the percentage is much smaller. 



Another distinct advantage of the silo is that the stock 

 will eat practically all of it even when shock corn is shred- 

 ded very little of the stalks are eaten and as much as 20 to 

 35 per cent is wasted. By the use of the silo more stock can 

 be kept on a farm than is possible without it. 



Another distinct advantage of the silo is that the corn 

 crop can be insiled when weather conditions do not permit 

 of curing it in the shock, and also that the product of a given 

 area can be stored in less space in the form of silage than 

 in any other form. A cubic foot of hay in the mow weigh- 

 ing about 5 pounds contain approximately 4.3 pounds of 

 dry matter. An average cubic foot of silage from a 30 foot 

 silo, weighing about 39.6 pounds will contain 10.4 pounds 

 dry matter, or nearly 2.5 times as much. 



Type of Silo 



So far as keeping of silage is concerned it will make 

 no difference whether a silo is constructed of wood, stone 

 brick, solid concrete, concrete blocks, concrete staves, or 

 vitrified tile blocks provided the walls are perpendicular, 

 smooth and airtight. Unless the walls of the silo are smooth 

 and perpendicular, cavities will form as the silage settles 

 with the result that the silage adjacent to these cavities will 

 spoil. 



Proper Size of the Silo 



The diameter of a silo should be gaged by the number 

 and kind of animals to be fed and the height should be 

 determined by the length of the feeding season. The silo 

 should be of such a diameter that during the winter months 

 at least II/2 inches of the entire surface is daily removed 

 by feeding to keep the silage from spoiling and during the 

 summer months at least 2 inches must be removed. In 



