122 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



SILO CONSTRUCTION AND THE USE OF ENSILAGE. 



By 



J. E. Dorman, Editor Prairie Farmer. 



Mr. Dorman : Members of the Association : I am pleased 

 to have this opportunity to talk to you today on the subject of 

 silos and silage, because I believe this feature of the feed prob- 

 lem means a great deal to the dairymen of Illinois. 



Some of you present here today may think that this subject 

 is worn out. The agricultural press and the institute workers 

 have discussed this subject so much that the dairymen who do 

 not own silos, and therefore do not realize the value of silage, 

 have become somewhat indifferent. However, a careful estimate 

 will show that 75 per cent of the dairymen of the state are still 

 without silos. A great many have been built during the past 

 year, and 1 believe that with their general use the silo will be as 

 great as any other one factor in raising the average production 

 per cow. This method of preserving green feed for winter use 

 was introduced into this country about thirty years ago, but the 

 stockmen were rather slow at first to take it up, until the experi- 

 mental stations and agricultural press widely advertised the value 

 of silage. 



The New England farmers were the first to take advantage 

 of this economical way of preserving roughage because they 

 were compelled to economize, and I want to say that if the farm- 

 ers here in Illinois would economize like the eastern farmers are 

 compelled to do, there would be more thrifty farmers in Illinois 

 than there are today. 



The advantages of silage over dry feeding are many, some 

 of which are: 



1. Economy of storage space. 



2. Conservation of the entire corn plant. 



