4888 
THE RURAL 
used two by six studding set 16 inches apart, 
and for siding used matched flooring outside 
and in, with plain barn siding and tarred paper 
between, making three thicknesses of lumber 
and one of tarred paper with a dead air-space 
of six inches. My silo cost me double what 
another one would that'would be equally good. 
I would use plain lumber and more of the 
tarred paper to make it air-tight. 
I lost but a few pounds of silage and that 
was next to a wall for the depth and width of 
six inches. I do not expect to lose any in the 
future. 
Common white field corn is all the crop that I 
have had any experience with, but T expect to 
ensilo my clover as fast as I can make room 
for it. I consider corn the best crop for ensi¬ 
lage, as more of it can be raised per acre than 
of any other forage crop; but the silo will fill 
a most important place in the curing and pre¬ 
servation of clover hay, as we all know that it 
takes very fine weather to make a crop, and 
by the use of the silo we are almost indepen¬ 
dent of any and all kinds of weather. I would 
recommend thoroughly wilting clover before 
putting it into the silo. I haul my com from the 
field as fast as cut and ran it through a No. 11 
Ross cutter, set to cutin half-inch lengths and 
with a 16-ft. cari’ier attached. We ran a cutter 
by steam power, and it worked to perfection, 
not breaking or straining any part. I placed 
three boys in the pit to keep the corn tramped 
and evenly spread, being particular to have 
them tramp the outside thoroughly. I would 
not cut or put in more than four or five feet per 
day in order to let it heat to the proper tem¬ 
perature, which should not be less than 120°, 
and I would go ahead and put in more. The 
whole secret in having it come out sweet is fill¬ 
ing slowly and keeping it thoroughly tramped. 
After filling the silo I let it remain uncov¬ 
ered until the last filling is heated up to 130 or 
140 degrees before I put the cover on—say 
three or four days; then I cut wheat straw in¬ 
to one-inch lengths and spread ic over the top 
to the depth of about six inches, and then 
cover it with inch-boards, two thicknesses, 
and on top of these I put about four feet of 
cut hay, which completed the job. This year 
I shall cover it in the same way, except that I 
shall put some weight only around the out¬ 
side wall. I expect to use blocks of stove 
wood cut 20 inches long, and will not open 
the side under six or eight weeks, and I am 
confident that I shall not lose any. 
I consider good corn silage, cut when the 
corn is just beginning to glaze, with a ration 
of shorts, about equal to the average run of 
clover hay, and far superior to any put up in 
my neighborhood. With my herd of Jersey 
cattle, feeding for milk and butter, I feed 40 
pounds of silage per day to each cow, with 
about six pounds of good shorts, and, if I have 
it, a feed of clover hay at noon. In feeding 
for beef I would give cattle all they would eat 
of silage, and would expect them to do well. 
I have not had any experience with any other 
grain in connection with silage. With my 
limited experience in feeding silage the only 
objectionable feature developed was the man¬ 
ifest disappointment expressed by my cattle 
when the silage was used up, as they would 
not take kindly to any other good feed for 
some days, and my cows fell off one-half in 
their flow of milk. It is my candid opinion 
that ensilage in the near future will be adopt¬ 
ed by all of our most progressive farmers, and 
will be the way of preparing all of our pres¬ 
ent forage crops for the production of milk, 
beef and pork products, as I consider it the 
most economical way of securing our forage 
crops in their best possible condition for fu¬ 
ture use. So well pleased am I with my lim¬ 
ited experience with the silo that I would con¬ 
sider it a good investment for any one keep¬ 
ing two or more head of cattle to borrow 
money at 10 per cent, and put up a silo. 
Worthington, Ohio. n. pinney. 
THE FIRST COMPLETE SILO BUILT IN 
WISCONSIN IN THE YEAR 1880. 
before frost, than the Southern, particularly 
in a cool, wet season, though not producing 
so much fodder per acre. I plant as early in 
the spring as the ground can be prepared. 
It is usually fall-plowed and manure is spread 
on it as hauled out during the winter. I 
plant in rows 3X feet apart, the kernels about 
six inches apart, using a one-horse drill. I go 
over it with a slanting-tooth harrow at least 
once before the corn comes up and once or 
twice afterwards. Then I follow with the 
cultivator as long as possible. I commence to 
cut when the ears are in the dough state, and 
as we take some time in cutting, they are well 
glazed before we are done. I cut by hand and 
let the fodder lie on the ground a couple of 
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Fig. 128. 
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days before hauling in. I use the largest size 
Belle City feed-cutter and a 10-horse power 
steam engine. I cut in three-eighth-inch 
lengths, fill to a depth of two or three feet in 
one compartment, and next day in another, 
making the round in three days, by which 
time it is heated to 120° or upwards, and more 
is put in. I tramp the sides and ends next to 
the wall thoroughly as put in, to insure its 
keeping well. When filled I put on a few 
inches of dry straw or hay and cover with 
tarred paper, and on this I put planks fitted 
closely. I formerly weighted heavily with 
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H. S. WEEKS. 
My silo is built in a side-hill, the wall 
against the upper bank, of stone 18 inches 
thick, and the balance of grout, with exten¬ 
sion walls of wood, four feet higher with 
double boarding and tarred paper between, 
and covered with a shingle roof. (Figs. 128 and 
129.) It is 30 by 24 feet in the clear, divided 
lengthwise into two compartments, and one 
of these is subdivided by a board partition. It 
adjoins and opens into the cow stable, the 
floor of which is three feet above the bottom 
of the silo. During its entire use there has 
never been any serious loss from spoiled sil¬ 
age; II should estimate not over two per cent 
as a rule. I have usually grown the Southern 
white corn (“Horse-tooth” variety), getting 
my seed from Virginia each year, but last 
season I used a part of common dent corn, 
and shall continue to do so, for the reason 
that the Northern corn matures earlier, the 
ears being surer to reach the glazed condition 
wt 
Fig. 129. 
stone, but the past two years I have not put 
on much weight, and see no necessity for it. 
I estimate the total cost of silage in a silo, 
including fair rent for land, at $1 per ton. As 
to its value for feeding milch cows as com¬ 
pared with clover hay, I am not prepared to 
make any definite statement. It is deficient 
in protein and requires other feeds to make a 
well balanced ration; but I believe it to be by 
far the cheapest, considering the amount that 
can be obtained from an acre compared with 
hay of any kind. In conjunction with well 
cured clover hay, there can be nothing better. 
I have had no personal experience in feed¬ 
ing silage for fattening purposes, but my dry 
cows and young stock fed on it keep in the 
finest condition, and I know of farmers in this 
locality using the silo specially for fattening 
cattle, filling them wholly with Northern 
corn almost fully matured, and they find it 
more profitable than any other feed. I feed 
all of my stock wholly on silage, and to cows 
in milk the ration is 40 to 50 pounds, with 
about 12 pounds of wheat bran and middlings, 
and two pounds of new-process oilmeal per 
day, divided into three feeds. My cows are 
Jerseys. 
I have never seen any objectionable features 
developed in feeding silage. I make but little 
butter, and have had no trouble with its keep¬ 
ing qualities. I sell my cream, shipping the 
bulk of it to one of the finest hotels in the 
country, at Milwaukee, where it meets with 
the highest favor at all times and seasons. As 
to the health and condition of my cows, their 
sleek and shining coats, their quiet content¬ 
ment and their performance at the pail are 
evidence enough that their feed is sufficient 
in quantity and quality. 
In my opinion, the silo is destined to have a 
place on every farm where live stock of any 
kind are kept, for the reason that is patent 
to any one who will examine results, that by 
no other method can as many animals be fed 
on a given area of land, the small farms out¬ 
stripping in profit, on this plan, those of three 
times their size, where hay and dry fodder 
are the dependence. The gr^at Northwest is 
alive to this subject, and silos are multiplying 
on every hand. 
My silos have been in use seven years, be¬ 
ginning with the primitive sour silage, made 
by the system of filling them rapidly with 
immature fodder, gradually changing to the 
methods above outlined, which produce the 
sweet, nutritive silage of the present. 
Last year we fed 40 head (old and young) 
from November till June on the product of 16 
acres; this year we are feeding 50 head on a 
slightly increased acreage, and both seasons 
we have had phenomenal droughts, the like of 
which were never before known since the 
country was settled. The hay crop was al¬ 
most a total failure; but he who was lucky 
enough (or wise enough) to have a silo was 
insured against a shortage of feed during the 
long, cold winter, for he pinned his faith to a 
crop that never fails in the great corn belt of 
this country. Hence I unhesitatingly advise 
every farmer to build a silo of some kind suit¬ 
ed to his means. It may be done at small ex¬ 
pense by using the bay of a barn, or some 
unused outbuilding. A double wall of boards 
and building paper will make it air-tight, and 
that is the main essential. Wooden walls are 
better than masonry in some respects, and 
they are not so readily penetrated by extremes 
of heat, and cold. If no cutter or power is 
at hand, put the fodder into the silo whole: it 
will make fair silage, though I do not recom¬ 
mend that way. 
ai'i umu oujU. 
My silos outside of the barns are about 2C 
feet from stable doors (See Fig.127). Their sizes 
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are, No. 1: 56x 35 and 16 deep in three bins; 
No. 2, 30 x 27 x 13 deep both of concrete about 
one-half below the surface. They will hold 
enough for 100 cattle for seven months. We 
feed about IX to two bushels pet day in two 
feeds with what hay they will eat besides. 
From one to five per cent of the silage is usu¬ 
ally spoiled. For the main crop I use W. & 
B ensilage corn and com planted for a crop of 
grain. The ears are picked off and the stalks 
ensiloed. I have used clover, but think it 
costs too much to put in the silo and it did not 
keep well for us. We cut the corn in the field 
with the Champion side-delivery reaper, which 
does the work completely if the corn is not 
lodged too badly, and we cut by hand with 
sickles. We hired an engine and No. 14 Ross 
cutter with two men for $6 per day. We aim 
to make all outside doors to the silo air-tight. 
We cut and fill as fast as we wish. We don’t 
wait for it to heat. We don’t see much dif¬ 
ference whether corn is put in the silo slowly 
or rapidly; or wet or dry; whether it heats 
or not while filling, or whether it is cut half 
an inch or two inches long. We want the 
corn well matured. We drill about May 10th 
to 20th, about 12 quarts of corn to the acre 
on good land. We cover the silage in the pits 
with straw and sawdust or earth three or 
four inches deep. 
Taking corn standing in the field, 50 cents per 
ton would more than pay all expenses, includ¬ 
ing men, engine and cutter, hire and board of 
men, except the use of farm teams in hauling 
to silo. 
I think it the best feed for milch cows for 
quantity, but would give some dry feed with 
it. We leave the cows to be the judges. If 
you give them clover hay of the best quality 
and good silage 90 per cent, of their meal will 
be “sour krout.” We can fatten cattle faster 
and with less grain with silage than with 
clover hay. Roller middlings is tho main 
feed purchased. Corn meal is cheapest for 
heavy feed with us, for we grow the corn. 
We feed IX to two bushels of silage with what 
clover hay the cattle will eat and six quarts of 
roller bran and two to three of meal to the 
best fresh cows. I have not detected any ob¬ 
jectionable features in feeding silage. My 
cattle have all, without exception, done well 
fed on it. I winter about 75 cows on it, and 
am milking on an average 1,400 pounds of 
milk per day for the last three months from 
an average of 60 cows, some 40 of them milked 
six months or more. 
Silage ranks first now with 90 per cent of 
the farmers that have used it as to quality and 
cost. Can I advise a farmer to build a silo? 
Yes for some, and no for a majority of far¬ 
mers. They are not situated so as to make it 
profitable to keep so much stock. I believe 
that with silage we can double the amount of 
stock, and double the amount of manure can 
be made, and I don’t see any reason why the 
profits will not double. I prefer to hire a cut¬ 
ter and power and think it is cheaper than 
to own them. But if two or three farmers 
could agree to own one together (which would 
be an exceptional case) it would be a saving 
to them, for each man would use it but three 
or four days in the year unless he cuts his dry 
feed which I do not do. Am positive I can 
make no more of it by cutting and do not 
want my cattle to eat the butts of stalks and 
weeds in the hay, and if we have silage we 
can mix the grain with it so it will be well 
digested. frank blair. 
Mantua, Ohio. 
A PENNSYLVANIA SILO. 
My silo is an excavation under my barn 
walled and cemented. It is 16 feet long, 14 
feet wide, and 20 feet deep. This location 
enables me to fill directly from the floor with 
little handling of the long fodder, and it runs 
directly into the pit. When cut for feeding it 
is raised to an elevated track and runs direct 
to the feed-way of the cattle-stable. 
We cover with plank (not matched) and 
weight with stone, about 18 inches of stone. 
A few inches of the top and four to six 
inches around the sides spoiled not over one- 
eightieth part of the entire bulk. The secret 
of keeping is the thorough exclusion of air. 
This is maintained by heavy weighting made 
more convenient by having a great depth to 
the silo in comparison with size. 
We use corn grown in drills 2X feet apart, 
sown rather thickly. This is cut with a 
reaper (heavy, requiring four horses) and 
dropped in sheaves and immediately carted 
to the barn on hay-flats; or a wagon coupled 
very long with 3x4 inch timbers placed on 
bolsters makes a convenient wagon for 
carting. We use a No. six Continental cutter, 
cutting to half-inch lengths, fill as fast as pos¬ 
sible, tramping as tightly as possible; when 
nearly filled we use a horse for this purpose and 
cover and weight immediately. 
Our silo is filled at a cost of about $1.50 per 
ton, including interest on land, and silo, cost 
of labor, use of teams and machinery. 
The best grains to feed with silage are 
those containing the element the feeder de¬ 
signs to feed for, whether for growth, fat or 
milk. A general-purpose feed may be com¬ 
posed of 20 pounds crushed oats, 30 pounds 
corn-and-cob-meal, 30 pounds wheat bran and 
