Thirty-fourth Annual Convention. ^^^ 



Much riper corn will keep at the bottom of the silo than at the 

 top, because of the greater pressure which excludes the air more 

 completely. It is, therefore, important that the ripest corn be 

 cut first and placed in the bottom of the silo. 



Method of Harvesting. 



The corn should be cut with a corn binder, as it is much 

 more easily handled when bound in bundles. If the silage cutter 

 is large and the work is pushed with a good force of men, the 

 corn binder should have a start of half a day. If enough horses 

 are used on the binder to keep it moving at a good pace the corn 

 can usually be cut down as fast as it can be put into the silo. 



It is always wise to have a silage cutter of large capacity, 

 as much less labor is required in feeding it, and if the bundles 

 are small, the bands need not be cut. Using a small cutter with 

 a large engine is dangerous unless great care is exercised in con- 

 trolling the power. Cut 1 shows a small-sized cutter filling a 

 silo in the center of a barn. The day following the taking ot 

 this picture the machine was given too much power and th<. 

 cutter wheel exploded. A piece of the wheel was found twenty 

 rods distant and another piece was thrown through the inch sid- 

 ing of the barn, but fortunately no one was injured. 



The chain elevator, as shown in Cut 5, is still occasionally 

 ised, but is likely to cause trouble. Where a carrier of this kind 

 is desired, the single chain gives the best satisfaction. The cus- 

 tomary, and usually the most satisfactory, way ot elevating the 

 cut material is by means of the blower, as shown in Cuts 6 and 7. 

 To obtain the best results and not to be annoyed by clogging, the 

 blower pipe should be run as nearly perpendicular as possible. 



Essentials of Silo Filling. 



If the silage is to keep well it must settle evenly. To this 

 end the leaves and the heavier parts of the corn must be kept 

 thoroughly mixed and evenly distributed in the silo. Owing to 

 the great lateral pressure of silage, friction with the sides of the 

 silo has a tendency to make the silage less compact at the edge, 

 and for this reason it should be kept thoroughly tramped next 

 the side. Every time three or four inches of cut material is 

 added to the silo it should be tramped thoroughly around the 

 edge, taking short steps and packing the silage as much as possi- 



