STORING 101 



The raised bottom and layers of straw are useful acces- 

 sories for the stack, shed or mow, while the barrel or other 

 ventilating contrivances should not be overlooked in either 

 sheds or mows. 



STORING AS SH/AGE. 



As land values increase and farmers and dairymen 

 come to more fully appreciate the worth of green feed in 

 winter, the silo grows in estimation. Eastern farmers 

 who keep cows or young stock of any kind use the silo 

 more or less, to conserve for winter the value of both 

 green grass and corn. Alfalfa makes an excellent silage, 

 but its peculiar quality of retaining its green food value, 

 as hay, when properly cured, makes its ensiling much less 

 a necessity. Alfalfa hay taken from the mow in Febru- 

 ary, green, appetizing and nutritious, falls little, if any, 

 short of serving the purposes of silage. 



OTTElSr PROFITABIiE TO ENSILE THE MRST CUTTING. 



However, it is not infrequently found that the first 

 cutting of alfalfa may be ensiled directly from the field 

 at a season when rains would prevent its proper curing 

 for hay. If this is done, it is important that the rakes and 

 wagons follow very closely after the mower, as even two 

 hours of sun exposure in the swath lessens its value for 

 silage. Men who have cut alfalfa during a light rain and 

 raked and hauled it directly to the silo have reported sat- 

 isfactory results. Others report having cut it in the 

 late afternoon and, the next morning, after a heavy rain, 

 raked and hauled it to the silo while dripping wet. 

 Therefore the farmer in the eastern and southern states, 

 in the Pacific Northwest, or even in the central states 



