UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 
39 
The harvesting of corn or sorghum for the silo may be done by hand 
with the ordinary corn knife, but the corn harvester or binder is the imple- 
Harvesting ^^^^ almost universally used for this work. In some sections 
the Crop of the country corn has been cut with a sled equipped with saw- 
like knives projecting from both sides. Except where the corn has 
fallen down badly, as was the case in some sections of Michigan in 1910, 
the binder can be used to advantage. It not only saves time in cutting 
the crop, but also binds it into bundles which are easier to load on the 
wagon and feed into the cutter than the loose corn. 
Corn is sometimes placed in the silo uncut, but this practice is not to 
be recommended because the stalks will not pack closely, and the result- 
The Cutter spaces cause excessive fermentation. The material is 
not as easily handled as cut silage, nor is it as economical to feed. 
The crop must be cut up fine for best results and when corn is 
used the entire plant, including ears, should be fed into the cutter. Al- 
though practice varies greatly, it is safe to say that corn for the silo should 
be cut one-half inch or even shorter. 
From the cutter the silage is elevated by a blower or conveyor, and 
deposited in a chute or automatic distributer. One or two men are required 
Elevating and^^^^^^ ^^^^^ is being filled, to tramp down the sides 
Distributing close to the walls, and to keep it leveled off (thus preventing the 
^ formation of air pockets), and to mix the heavier portion of the 
silage with the lighter. Silage has a tendency to cling to the sides of 
the silo unless well tramped, and the heavier particles roll to the edges 
while the lighter remain near the discharge. The automatic distributer 
Sito on J. Muiller s farm near Highland. Dimen- George Graf's Concrete Silo, inside dimensions 
sions 14 by 30 feet. Courtesy of Stocker Gravel 14 by 34 feet, near Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Note 
& Artificial Stone Co., Highland, Illinois. concrete roof and concrete chute. 
