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MAKING GRASS SILAGE by the Wilting Method 
By T. E. Woodward, Bureau of Dairy Industry, Agricultural Research Administration 
Aw ABUNDANCE OF GoopD-Quatity RouGuHacE Is essential for efficient milk 
production and the most profitable dairying. Dairy farmers depend on the 
hay crops for a large proportion of the roughage they need, but weather 
and other conditions often interfere with the making of good-quality hay. 
When conditions are likely to be unfavorable for making hay, the making 
of grass silage is a very satisfactory alternative. 
Silage made from any of the crops ordinarily grown for hay, whether 
they are legumes, grasses, or small grain crops, is commonly called grass 
silage. 
Until recently, most farmers and some investigators believed that grass 
silage would spoil unless molasses or an acid preservative was added. When 
war conditions made molasses too costly and the acids became unavailable, 
many farmers successfully adopted the so-called wilting method which 
requires no preservative. 
Air Must Be Excluded 
The most important factor for success in making any kind of silage is to 
force the air out of the ensiled material and keep it out. The presence of 
ait allows the silage to mold; molding does not occur in the absence of air. 
This is true regardless of the kind of crop, the moisture content, and the 
presence or absence of a preservative. 
Chopping the crop material fine (about -inch lengths) makes it pack 
closer, which helps to force air out. Ina deep silo the weight of the silage 
itself will force out most of the air; in a shallow silo, such as a trench, the 
silage must be tramped and weighted. 
To keep air out of the silo the walls and doors must be airtight, and 
filling should be completed by adding 2 or 3 feet of heavy, fine-chopped 
material, such as green weeds or the unwilted green crop. As soon as the 
silo is full the top material should be leveled off and tramped thoroughly. 
Leveling and tramping should be repeated twice, at 2-day intervals, then 
once a week until no more settling occurs. Fill all spaces that open between 
the silage and the walls. 
Too Much Moisture in Silage is Detrimental 
The most important point in making silage from the hay crops, in addi- 
tion to excluding the air, is to see that the moisture content of the chopped 
material is no higher than 68 percent when it goes into the silo. 
If the moisture content is too high, juice a leak from the silo. Leak- 
ing juice creates a messy condition, makes a favorable place for flies to 
breed, and has an offensive odor. It is also destructive to metal, mortar, 
and concrete and may seriously weaken the silo structure. Moreover, high- 
moisture silage is less palatable and lower in feeding value than low- 
moisture silage. 
Too much moisture is especially objectionable in the legume crops, such 
as alfalfa, clovers, cowpeas, soybeans, lespedezas, and vetches. The legume 
crops, and mixtures containing mostly legumes, make bad-smelling silages 
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