306 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



THE SILO. 



There is no more important question before dairymen today 

 than that of the silo and ensilage. It means an abundant supply 

 of feed for cows, the feed not only being of the best but repre- 

 senting the smallest cost. The silo means economy of produc- 

 tion, absolute protection against a shortage of feed, convenience 

 and, in fact, profit on good cows regardless of weather. 



An important bulletin on The Iowa Silo has been issued re- 

 cently from the Iowa Experiment Station. This bulletin not 

 only describes the Iowa silo and details its construction, giving 

 results of experiments carried on by the station with this silo, 

 but gives much other information. 



Essentials of a Good Silo. 



Under this heading the bulletin has the following : 

 ''The fundamental principle involved in preservation of 

 silage is the retention of moisture within the silage and the ex- 

 clusion of air. For this reason, the silo wall must be non-porous. 

 Moisture must be prevented from passing out and air from 

 passing in. 



Rigidity, Strength and Smoothness of Walls. 



"An ideal silo must have rigid walls. It must be strong 

 enough to resist the bursting pressure of the silage. This acts 

 outward in all directions as the silage settles. The friction of 

 the silage against the wall, and the weight of the wall produce a 

 crushing action which is great near the bottom of the silo. A 

 silo when empty should be heavy enough to stand against heavy 

 winds. The inside of a silo wall should be reasonably smooth to 

 permit the silage to settle freely. If the wall is not smooth or 

 if there are shoulders or offsets on the inside surface, air pockets 

 will be formed and a considerable loss of silage will result. 



