VoL. LXXVII. 
Published Weekly at 333 W. 30th St., 
New York. I’rice One Dollar a Year. 
NEW YORK, AUGUST 3, 1918. 
Entered as Second Class Matter at New York 
under the Act of Congress, March 3, 1879. 
No. 4403. 
The Silo: A Necessity in the Dairy and 
Beef Industry 
A Defense Against the Kaiser 
VALUE OF SILAGE.—Have you a silo built ready 
to handle this year's corn croi)? If not it is time to 
he under way, and none too early to he tigiiring on 
the proposition for another year. There should he a 
silo oil every farm that would most profitably con¬ 
duct the dairy or beef-raising business. The reasons 
for this are pretty generally understood. There is 
no argument over the use of .silage in growing corn 
and drying the fodder, since an acre of corn can be 
placed in the silo as cheaply as can the shocking, 
husking and shredding be done for an acre of the 
same corn. There is less waste in feeding the silage 
sonable to expect a cow to keep in good condition, 
keep “feeling good.’’ and yield her best on dry hay. 
Cornstalks and straw, than to expect a human being 
to be at ids i)est if fed dry cereals, Tiread and crack¬ 
ers. The way cows ri'spond on grass is sutheient 
testimony as to the value of succulence in their 
ration. Silage carries these Summer conditions 
throughout the year. As a supplement to small (»r 
inferior pastures silage has no e<|nal. For the past 
few years the seasons in the Northern States have 
been short and many farmers attempting to grow 
corn for grain have liad it frosted while still imma¬ 
ture. Without a silo the crop is practically a total 
loss: with one it can be saved. 
(JROWIXG THE rROF.—An important consider¬ 
ation that first confronts the farmer is the kind of 
blown down. In order to make the building of a 
concrete silo advisable one should have plenty of 
sand and gravel handy. The principal objections to 
the concrete silo are that the concrete is too good a 
conductor of heat, and silage freezes badly next to 
file wall. • They sometimes crack unless thoroughly 
and properly constructed. The Avooden silo is the 
clieaiiest to begin with, and there are any number of 
firms from whom this type of .silo can be purchas(»<l 
all ready to put together. They dry out badly in hot 
weather and in windy sections are fre(|ueutly blown 
over. This length of life is limited. The hollow tile 
silo is, in the opinion of the writer, the best and 
cheapest in the long run. This type is not so com¬ 
mon in the east. l)ut there are hundi’eds of them here 
in Iowa that are giving the best of satisfaction. The 
The Corn Ifarvcsfrr at Worlc on a Fnrtn in Diijxif/r ('(ninlij. III. F'kj. .’i(!2 
than the fodder. A given amount of corn in the form 
of silage will yield more* milk than the same amount 
Mhen dried. Silage is vcmw palatable, and bas a 
beneficial effect upon the digc'stive organs. When 
compared to Alfalfa or cloven- bay tbere is no doubt 
tiiat the same amount of food nuti'ients may be i)ro- 
(luced at less cost tha;'. in the form of silage. How¬ 
ever, the dairy farms that gi-ow enough of this kind 
of hay to meet their needs ai-e relatively few and far 
1-etween. At any rate it is not the function of silage 
to replace hay entirely. In fact, in tbe.se times of 
high-priced grain, cows should be encouraged to eat 
all the hay i)ossible. It is the mixture of the silage 
and hay togcdlier that lu-oduces the best residts. If 
silage furnished no nourishment at all its value as 
an appetizer would still be great It is no more rea¬ 
corn to I'lant. A general answen- to this (piestion is 
a variety that will matui-e ears, although the total 
tons of f(»dder to the acre may not be as great. If 
we an* to use this feed for its succulence the more 
nutriment there is in it the better, and the smaller 
the food bills. 'I’be silage crop is an easy om* to care 
foi-. and oidy needs to have tlu* wc'eds kept down 
with the horse lux*. T>y h.-iying time it tak(*s care 
of it.self until the Iiai-vest. 
'ryPE AND SIZE OF SILO.—The other imi)ortant 
factor is the type and size of silo to build or i)ur- 
cliase. The principal types are the concn'tc*. the 
wooden stave and the hollow tile. The concrete silo 
is strictly a homemade silo. While the first cost of 
a coTicrete silo is greater than for most of the other 
t 3 'Pes, its durability is better, and it does not get 
tib* and reiid'i : iii'c can be i)urcha.sed, and a good 
mason can pn.t the silo ui» in a hurry, la.ving the tile 
in c(*!iu>nt. This makes a V('ry durable silo, and the 
cost will usually be no grt'jiter than, if as great, as 
for concrc'te. fi'lu' air spaces in the tile furnish good 
insulation, so tlu're is less dang(>r of freezing. 
AN MWERGENFY .SILG.—Another w.-iy to make a 
(piick ('inergency silo is to bo.-ird up a joint in the 
h:iA' barn and nail boards two or three feet long 
io-ross tin* coi-ners to do away with the scpiare cor¬ 
ner. The es.sential thing in the keeping of silage i.s 
that it shall be free from ;iir space.s. This nu'ans 
airtight sinoc.'.i walls and a sufficient height in pro¬ 
portion to its depth so the pre.ssure will be great 
enough to express the air in the silage. The silo, re¬ 
gardless of type, should be set on a solid fov.nd-.itlou 
