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SILOS ESPECIALLY ADAPTED TO DAIRIESSilo construction has undergone n I great change since the first ones were built, all the early ones being built In the ground, while the modern silos are constructed almost entirely above ground. Besides, the first silos were . comparatively shallow structures, which resulted In a large amount of j spoiled silage on account of the lack* of sufficient pressure, snj * Farmers' | bulletin 589 of the l ulled States department of agricultureI Silos have Increased rapidly In number. until now they are extensively* used, especially In those regions devoted to the dairy Industry So useful have they become thut many farmers consider them Indispensable. The siloJ Is adapted to all part* of the Vnlted States where corn or the sorghums can be successfully grown Its use at present is confined principally to I farms where cattle are kept, although silage is a good and cheap feed for both sheep and horses Some danger.I however, attends Us use for horses, as | It is essential that silage fed to horses ! be made from fairly mature com. properly stored In the silo and that It be not moldy or frozen Dairy farmers. especially, have appreciated the value of slluge us a milk producer. To make the silo a profitable Investment, however, the farmer should have at least ten cows, or the equivalent In I other stock.! A well-constructed concrete silo will last Indefinitely, and there Is no danger of Us blowing over or burning, rotting out. or being attacked by vermin. Its first cost Is. ns a rule, greater thana home-made stave or Wisconsin type silo, but after It is once built little attention la required to keep it In good ooodltlon.The stave or tub silo has become very popular In late years because of the cheapness, ease and quickness with which It can be built. Generally speaking, the stave silo excels In these three particulars, although there may be sections of the country where sand and gravel can be obtained at a nominal cost and where the price of lumber Is prohibitive. Under such conditions the ooncrete silo may bo cheaper. Stave silos last for from five to fifteen years, depending upon the kind of material used and the care given them. Unless well anchored or guyed, they are apt to be blown down when empty.The average cost for a concrete silo at 100 tons capacity ts |220; from one to two hundred tons In caplclty, (348. The svt rage cost of the modified Wisconsin tUo of about one hundred tons capacity is 9180, and that of the stave type of 100 tons or leas, |U8. The cost, of course, varies with the local ooet of labor and material.There are some features which are essential to the construction of ail ■Uoo and without which silage cannot be kept In perfect condition.1. The walls should be air tight, since the successful keeping of silage depends upon the exclusion of air. L*rgn knots in the lumber should be avoided, and the lumber should be well matched. In concrete silos a wash on the Inside with cement and water or with raw coal tar thinned with gasoline la effective in making the walls Impervious to air. The tar treatment Is also advisable for stave •llos. as it preserves the wood. Caro should be taken that the doors fit closely into their frames.2. Tho walls should be smooth and plan.1 so that the silage will not ad here 'o them In settling and thus ' cans, air spaces between the silage and the walla Furthermore, the walla should be capable of standing considerable lateral strain without cracking or bulging. This Is one reason why rectangular silos are so frequently unsuccessful.3. The silo must be deep enough so thst the pressure from above will thoroughly pack the silage and force out the air. The greater the pressure th* lens air Is left In the silo and the •css will be the loss of silage by fer-4 The only form of silo be recommended is one which is t *uud. Thisform Is generally tho U.eapest. ca pacicy considered, and t h. walls are more rigid than those of the rectangular or octagonal forms. The round form results In more perfect preserve tlon of the silage.Location of the 8U©.The stlo should be plntcd outside rnther than inside the kirn. As a silo ordinarily does not n «-d the protection of a bam. It Is not economical to use bam space for this purpose*. An exception to this rule may t*e made In the case of the round barn A silo In the middle of u round bam serve* to support the superstructure as well as to place the silage In position for con vetilent feeding. A silo so placed, however, is liablo to be very Inconvenient to fill. The most popular location is a few feet from the bam and opening into a separate feediug-room The door of the barn can then be closed and the silage odors kept out of the stable at milking time.The diameter of the silo will depend upon the amount of silage to be fed dally The silngo should be removed from the top at the rate of one and one-half inches per day. depending upon climatic conditions. The warmer the weather the more silage must be removed from the surface dally in order to prevent spoiling. For the winter feeding season It is safer to figure npon removing two Inches dally than tipon a smaller amount. A common error 10 building Is to make the diameter too large for the size of th.- herdThe practice of using silage to supplement pastures during the summer droughts and in the early fall, instead of soiling crops. Is becoming more general, and it Hhould be encouraged. For such feeding the daily ration per cow may be as low as ten pounds, depending upon the amount and quality of pasture or other succulent feeds available. For tho same herd the silo for summer feeding should be of smaller diameter thau the one used for winter feeding, since three Inches instead of two are to be removed dally. In order to provide for this summer feeding an additional silo of smaller diameter should be constructedThe foundation of the alio should receive special consideration, since a Inrge proportion of the silage ns well as the weight of the wall* must be ■supported by the foundation. It has always been assumed that the foundation supports only the walls of the silo, but recent investigations have shown this Idea to he erroneous. The foundation should have Its base on firm soil, and It should extend below frost line.If the earth In the bottom of the alio Is firm and comparatively dry. no provision need be made for drainage, and a floor Is unnecessary. Still, a concrete floor will make the silo easier to clean and make It Impossible for rata to burrow underneath the foundation wall and gain access to the silage If. however, the earth In the bottom of the silo la Inclined to be aeepy. a tile drain should be laid In It and a concrete floor laid above the tile. The tiling should open into the floor In the center, and the floor should be made to drain to It. The tiling should extend beyond the alio wall and have its outlet lower than the floor. The entrance of the tile drain should be stopped with a loose wooden plug when the silo la about to be filled and should bo opened when the silo Is empty. The drain will carry off the water which tends to seop In as well as any rain water that may collect on the floor. In caae the silo has no roof.The doorways should be of such a alxe aa jo permit the ready entrance of a man. and they should be close euough together so that the allage will not have to be lifted any considerable height when It Is being removed. The usual six* Is about twenty inches wide and 30 Inches high, and the space between the doors two and one-half to three feet The lowest Joor should not be more than five feet above the bottom of the silo; leaa than this is desirable.MANAGING THE GARDEN PLOTProper Way la to Ksep Soma Crop Growing From Early Spring Till Killing Frosta In Fall.The proper way to manage the garden plot so os to make the most out of It Is to keep some crop growing In It from spring until killing frost In the fall. In doing this It Is best to plan out the garden early in tho spring, didermlnn where each crop Is to be grown and what amount of space I* to be used. Then plant or sow quick growing plants rather together so as they mature they can be removed and others take their places. In nearly all caBes at least two crops can be grown. In some as many as three. There is too much of a disposition *0 grow one crop and let the weeds make the socond crop. This Is not only unprofitable but Increases very materially tho labor of giving rasonabty clean cultivation.Bad Poultry Practice.It Is nnwlse to spend money for better chickens and then give them such poor care that they cannot do welL
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The Wibaux Pioneer
Wibaux, Montana, US
Fri, Sep 11, 1914
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MD, USA 05 Jun 2025
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The Wibaux Pioneer
