FORTY-THIRD ANNUAL CONVENTION 221 



MEASURING SILAGE AND CAPACITY OF SILOS. 



By L. W. Chase, Professor of Agriculture Engineering, 

 University of Nebraska. 



The condition of the corn at fiUing time, the rate of filling, 

 and the length of time settling has taken place before measuring 

 the depth of the silage, all tend to cause variations in the weight 

 per cubic foot of the silage and in the tonnage that can be placed 

 in a silo. The greatest variation comes when very green com 

 or very ripe corn is used, and because of this it is possible that 

 a cubic foot of green silage, which may weigh fifty pounds, holds 

 no more dry matter than a cubic foot of overripe silage which 

 weighsi only about twenty-five pounds. Since this condition 

 exists, measuring silage may get as close to the actual food value 

 per cubic foot as weighing does per ton, if it is possible to get a 

 reliable standard for measuring it. 



An inspection of the weights of silage put into the various 

 silos on the University Farm the last few years discloses a great 

 variation in the tonnage which it is possible to put into a silo 

 when the filling is carried on under different conditions. Though 

 these weights may vary a great deal from the theoretical capacity,^ 

 the average of all the silos approaches it very closely. 



Condition of Silage 



In 191 1 the silage was put into two silos in a very green 

 state, but at a fairly slow rate of filling, and 314 tons were 

 placed in the silos. In 19 14 the filling was carried on at about 

 the same rate, but only 252 tons could be placed in the silos. 

 This difiference of 62 tons, which was 20 per cent, was due to 

 the silage being so much riper in 1914 than in 191 1. 



Rate of Filling 



In 19 14 plenty of teams were available, and some of the silos 

 were filled with a rush. That year two of them held only 209 

 tons, while the year previous, with the silage in approximately 

 the same condition but filled slowly, they contained 252 tons, 

 making a difference of 43 tons, or 17 per cent. 



