UNIVERSAL PORTLAND CEMENT CO. 
13 
now in use were built during 1913, and in all probability at least one-half 
were built within the last two years. Of course, by far the greater number 
are as yet in the dairy regions, Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, and Iowa 
easily leading in numbers ; but the states in which cattle feeding is 
most practiced are the ones that now show the largest percentage of annual 
increase. Central Indiana and Illinois, the north half of Missouri, eastern 
Kansas and Central Oklahoma are beef-producing districts that are 
marked by a rapid silo development during the past two years. 
"The use of the silo in feeding beef cattle is responsible for an increase 
in the average size of the silo. The size of the silo depends upon several 
factors, the principal being the daily consumption of silage, as the top 
must be removed promptly and uniformly over the whole surface, and as 
the amount required daily for the average dairy herd is less than the amount 
required for a feed lot of steers, it follows that the use of silage in meat 
production has resulted in the erection in the last two years of silos of 
larger capacity. 
"The economic importance of the present development of silage feed- 
ing would be hard to overestimate. About 70%, or roughly, 75,000,000 
acres of our corn area is used to produce corn to be fed upon 
Eomomic ^^^^ farm. Husking and gathering this corn not only constitutes 
Importance "^^^ hardest manual tasks performed upon the farm, but 
is one of the largest items of cost in growing corn. An average 
acre of corn land produces perhaps one ton of corn on the cob and 11 tons 
of stalks, blades and husks when cured to a reasonable degree of dryness. 
Minnesota Concrete Silo, erected on F. W. 
Murphy 's farm, Wheaton, Minnesota, by Martin 
Peterson, Contractor. 
Concrete Silos (dimensions 18 feet by 44 feet) on 
Wakefield farm, Harrington, Illinois, built by 
Reichert Manufacturing Co., in 1912. 
