282 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



SILO AND SILAGE NOTES. 



By A. J. Glover. 



It is more than a quarter of a century since the American 

 farmer began to can some of his green crops in a vessel, called a 

 silo. There has been much written and a great deal of experi- 

 menting done to prove the feasibility of preserving some of our 

 green food in this manner. There is no longer any question, but 

 that this method is one of the best as well as the cheapest ways 

 that we have of storing some of our green crops. 



In the beginning many ill-constructed silos were built and 

 extravagant claims were made for their use. In many instances 

 the silage was very poor in quality, which led many thoughtful 

 and conservative people to condemn the silo. Since we have 

 learned how to. construct properly these buildings and have also 

 learned how to fill them properly the prejudice and suspicion are 

 fast disappearing and silos are being built in every part of the 

 country where live stock is kept. The silo has become a perma- 

 nent factor in American husbandry and the time is not far off 

 when the stock raisers, as well as the dairyman will depend largely 

 on the contents of the silo for green feed. The progressive dairy- 

 men have long realized the value of succulent food for their cows, 

 and they have been using silos for many years. It is the more 

 conservative farmers who are now rapidly becoming converted 

 to the use of silage, and are making inquiries in regard to the 

 building of silos, what crops to put in them, how to feed silage, 

 what it costs to fill the silo, and many other questions pertaining 

 to this method of preserving feed. These questions have led the 

 writer to prepare these notes on the silo and silage. 



style of Silo. 



It is a settled question that the silo should be built round, 

 for in a building of this shape the silage is best preserved. In a 



