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June, 1919 Extension Bulletin Series I, No. 161-A=
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R.,n •.,d Edition of Bulletin No. 107. Series 1
Colorado Agricultural College
EXTENSION SERVICE
F"n Collins, Colorado
H. T. FRENCH. Director
1IIIIII_1IIl'1IIli!iilllil'IDIIDIImlllIllFi'lIIliiiiillll""IIIl"lIlIIIlI_lII"'_IIIIIIIIIIIII_IIIlIIIl_• •IIII"lIIliimlllliiiillllliiihllllml""i1i!i1i!i1iiii!!!iiiii!,h
ADVANTAGES OF THE SILO
By R. W. CLARKI
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GIIIlIlllllllllllIllllIlllllllII:iIIIIIlllllllll-=IlIIIIIIIIII_lIlIIIlIIIIlI:IIIII_IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlIIIIII:IIiii',E:lII.IIIIIII"i! ,.IICO.O"."ATIV• •XTaN.ION • •"VIC. IN A""'CULTU". AND HOM.
IlCONOMICS-COLORAQO AG"ICULTURAL COLL.G. AND U . • • D . . ._TM.NT 0"
AQR.CULTu"a Co-oP."ATING
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Colorado Agricultural College
FORT COLLINS, COLOR'ADOTHE STA.TE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE
Term Expires HON. A. A. EDWARDS, President of the Board Fort Collins, 1921
HON. J. S. CALKINS Westminster, 1921
HON. H. D. PARKER Greeley, ' 1923
HON. AGNES L. RIDDLE Df>nvf>1" 1923
HON. J. C. BELL'... . . . .. Montrose, 1925
HON. E. 1\1. AMMONS Denver, 1925
HON. J. B. RyAN Rocky Ford, 1927
HON.",V.I. GIFFORD Hesperus,' 1927
PRESIDENT CHAS. A. LORY } . .
GOVERNOR OLIVERH.SHOUP Ex-OffICIO
L. M.TAYLOR, Secretary M.G. NELSON, Treasurer EXECUTIVE COMMI'I'TEE
A. A. EDWARDS, Chairman
H. D PARJ{EH EXTENSION SERVICE
CHAS. A. LORY Pre~ident
H. T. FRENCH . . . • . . . Director A. E. LOVETT State Leader County Agricultural Agents ,V.E. VAPLON State Leader Boys' and Girls' Clubs
~rIRIAl\I 1\1. H,A.YNES : .
. . . State Leader County Home Demonstration Agen ts
ANNA T. BARNARD Executiye Clerk
EXTENSION STAFF
RALPH L. CROSMAN . . . • . . . . • . . . Editor of Publications MAUDE E. SHERIDAN Assistant Leader Boys' and Girls' Clubs R. W. C~RK . . . • . . . Animal Husbandry
STUART L. SWEET Markets and Marketing
O. S. RAyNER Farm Management Demonstrations
G. S. RAy Specialist in Ag-ronomy
.R. H. FELTS Assistant State Leader County Agricultural Agents COLLEGE FACULTY CO-OPERATING ..
COUNTY AGRICULTURAL AGENTS
County .Jas.E. Morrison, Sterling Logan W. H. Lauck, Colorado Sp'gs, El Paso Walter J. Ott, Fort Morgan ..~Iorgan "lIeH. Simpson, Longmont· Boulder E. D. Smith. Durango La Plata Gen.. R. Smith. Brighton Adams -Ralph R. Jeffries . . . • • . . . . Canon City, Fremont 'C. D. HyA,tt, Monte Vista, Rio Grande Chas. E. Smith, Trinidad .. Las Animag l'''R.f&On R. T{napD. Greeley Weld 'Waldo Kidder, Walsenburg, Huerta-no
1 .. J. Wormington, ••••••••••••••• . . . .. Castle Rock, Douglas E. H. Divelbh~s, Delta... Delta
County Mary Collopy, County Home
Dem-onstration Agent, Colorado
Springs EI Paso
L. Morgan Sweitzer, Lamar .. Prowers Scott Wisner, Hugo ' Lincoln Golden J etrerson Walter A.. Groom, Littleton, Arapahoe Harold B.Kobey, Craig ~!otrat Harry C. Nevius, Montrose, Montro~e - J .. C. Hale, Steamboat Springs, r~()ntt H: O. Strange, Burlington, KI~'Carson
, G. ,P. Newsom,- Ct)rtez ...~ontezuma D. C. Bascom, _FQrt ColHns, Larimer .·W.~ 'F.-. Dro,re, Rocky Ford .... Otero Wm.·O Sauder. C~llterj. - • • • •Saguache
O. L. Davi~!'.Pueblo · .. Pqeblo
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Erma Douglass, County Home Dem-onstration Agent Walsenburg Mabel Verne Campbell, Urban Home
Demonstration Agent Denver Mrs. ROSe Cole, Urban Home DeD\;
onstration Agent Pueblo Anna B. Mather, Assistant State
Leader Home Demonstration
Agents Fort ColUns
Eunice Kennedy, Boys' and Girls'
Clubs Fort Collil)s
Pearl I. Horn, County Home Dem~' onstration Agent, Glenwood Springs . . . . • . . . Garfield
EMERGENCY 'AGENTS .
Susa,nne ThOtnpsQn, County -Home Demonstrat\on ,A-gent, Greeley ...
•.••.'..- \Veld
Florence Redifer, Urban Home Dernonstration Agent, Colorado
Springs EI' Paso
Agnes Kreutzer, County Home Demonstration Agent, .Tr.inidad
. . . .~'.•~ - Las Animas Francis Chisholm, Assistant
Sta\e L~der ~QYs','and Girls' Club~ ..•~. . . .• F_or~<,?olUnaJ
ADVANTAGES OF THE SILO
By R. W. Clark
1. Saves more of the crop than can be saved in any other
way. In some instances the saving amounts to 50 per cent.
2. G.reater return can be secured from the land when the
crop is put in the silo than when it is cured in the ordinary way.
3. Surplus feed in years of abundance can be carried over to
years of scarcity. Good silage will keep for years.
4. More live stock can be kept with silage than without it.
In other words the silo increases the size of the farm.
5. The value of straw and hay is greatly increased by
-feeding it with silage. Straw is worth several dollars a ton
more when fed with silage.
6. Preserves green feed in juicy palatable form, and
in-creases consumption.
7. Provides substitute for pasture in winter, and keeps the
animals in good health.
-8. Can store lots of feed in small place at a 10w cost per ton.
9. Silage is convenient to feed and pleasant to handle.
10. Silage increases the milk flow and total butter fat.
11. Silage keeps young animals growing and improves the
quality of fat stock.
12. Silage reduces the cost of producing wool, meat and
milk, and increases the profit.
The use of the silo is recommended for all parts of Colorado
where crops can be grown. Nearness to sugar factories where
cheap beet pulp can be had may offer an exception to this state-ment.
The use of the silo is especially urged on the dry land farms
of the state. To secure the greatest profit from the soil, the
farmer must keep more or less live stock and to do this, he must provide abundance of feed for all seasons. There are some years when the rainfall will be sufficient to produce more forage
than-immediate needs require. Every bit of forage should be
4 COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE
The surplus of wet years should be carried over in the silo
to dry years, to the years of shortage and high prices. Under
good methods of dry farming, there is rarely a year, though,
when enough forage for the silo cannot be produced.
Alfalfa is the only forage crop produced on many of the
irri-gated farms. Because of the much larger tonnage per acre of
eorn than of alfalfa, and the improved condition of the ration,
by the use of corn silage, th·e silo is recommended for the
irri-gated farm.
Where the rainfall is light during the growing season, the
silo will give better results than pastures. An acre, under dry
land conditions, will produce more feed in the form of silage than can be secured by grazing.
Silage improves the character of the ration, but should not
be given as a single food. It improves the ration by adding
suc-culence and palatability. Both consumption and production are
-increased. Corn silage fed with alfalfa hay gives a better ration
than when fed alone and increases the value of the hay. As a
single food it lacks sufficient protein and is too laxative to give satisfactory results.
All kinds of silos are in use, underground, wood, concrete,
bric.k, ston,e, tile and metal. The farmer must decide for
him-self which kind he shall construct. The pit silo is the cheapest
type where its installation is practicable.
To assist the farmer in deciding how large a silo to build, 'and to figure the capacity of his silo the following tables are given:
RELATION OF HERD TO DIAMETER OF 8ILD
cows IlEQUIRED TO LOWER l.-DAILY
POUNDS REMOVED POUNDS CF FEED PER COW
DIAMETER TO LOWERZ-IMILY
4D 3&
3D 20
10
FEET&23
13
1&
17
28
12
754
1.
21
2& 37
14
1030
2& 3D
34
&1
1&
1178
29
33
39 60
16
1340
33
38
44
67
18
168&
42
48
&6
84
2D
2100
&2
SO
70 10&
MEASURING SILAGE
Th,e interest in measuring silage is increasing as more silos
are built. The most satisfactory method is to weigh it, but this
cannot. always be done. The method used so far in measuring
silage was worked out years ago and has not been entirely
sat-isfactory. The old method gives a cubic foot of silage greater
weight. The Nebraska Experiment Station has investigated
this subject and the rule hel~eingiven is taken from its circular
No.1:
"Conditions Affecting Weight of S.ilage
"The weight of a cubic foot of silage and the tonn,age that can be put in a silo depends upon the condition of the corn at the time of filling, rapidity of filling and the length of time that the silage has settled after filling before the depth measurement is
made. The greatest variation in the weight of a cubic foot of
silage is due to very green corn or v,ery ripe corn. While the
former may weigh 50 pounds to the cubic foot it may contain no more dry matter than the latter which weighs only 25 pounds
to the cubic foot. This being true, measuring may get as close
to the actual food value as weighing. Rapid filling gives less
pounds of silage per cubic foot than slow filling. This is
pro-bably due to lack of pack. In rapid filling more men are required
in the silo than in slow filling, otherwise there will be a big
dif-ference in the weight of a cubic foot of silage. The settling of
silage nearly all takes place during the first two weeks after
fill-ing. Should the silo be filled and measured by the customary
method for tons capacity within the same d,ay, it would appear to contain at least 25 per cent more silage than if it were not
measured for two weeks after being filled. This is because the
silage has settled.
"Time to Take Depth Measurement
"Under the old method the depth is determined after two
days of settling. Under the new method the depth of the
sil-age is determined the day that filling ceases. The results are
said to be equally accurate. The new or Nebraska rule is as
follows: The siI8.ge is to be in normal condition when put in the silo; that the silo is filled without d,elay; allowed to settle from 12 to 24 hours, and then refilled and that while filling two men
are to be kept in the silo tramping. The depth of the silage
6 COLORADO ...\'GRICULTURAL COLLEGE
The following table gives the weight of silage per cubic foot in silos of different depths. Taken from Nebraska Experiment Station Circular No.1.
Depth of Silage in Feet 1 2 3 4 6 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 \Veight per Cubic Foot 16.13 16.89 17.64 18.38 19.12 19.83 20.64 21.24 21.93 22.61 23.28 23.94 24.59 25.24 26.88 26.52 27.15 27.77 28.38 28.99 29.58 30.16 30.73 31.29 31.84 Depth of Silage in Feet 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Weight per Cubic Foot 32.38 32.91 33.43 33.94 34.44 34.93 85.41 35.88 36.34 36.79 37.23 37.6;; 38.07 38.48 88.88 39.27 39.65 40.02 40.39 40.76 41.11 41.46 41.81 42.16 42.50
DETERMINING THE CAPACITY OF A SILO
Multiply one-half of the diameter of the silo by itself, then by 3.1416, then by the depth of the silo, then by the weight pel' cubic foot at this depth and divide the product by 2000. Tl~e
answer is tons of silage. .
Suppose the silo is 12 feet in diarr~eter,Hnd 30 feet deep. Ho\v much silage is there in it? One-half of 12 is 6; then 6 x 6· x 3.1416 x 30 x 34.44 == 116630.44. 116630.44 -:-- 2000
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58.5 tons.Suppose part of the silage has been fed out. How much silage is left in the silo? Determine the capacity of the silo, ,vhen filling ceased,as above given. Then obtain the distance between the present level and the level when filling ceased. an'! compute the tonnage for this space. The difference betwc?ll these two tonnages is the tonnage in the silo.
The following table put out by the Nebraska Experiment Station gives the capacity of different size silos. Suppose the silo is 10x30. Run down the column giving the depth of silage until you come to 30. Then follow to the right until you conle to the 10 feet in diameter column. l'he answer is 40.6 tons.
RELATI\·E C_"-PACITIES OF SILOS Table I
Th:'pth of Silagt' Dian1E'ter of Silo in Feet
in fE'et ,v11en filling- cE'ased 4 5 8 9 10 11 12 13 .10 .17 .23 .31 .40 .50 .63 .77 .95 1.07 .21 .33 .48 .65 .85 1.05 1.33 1.60 1.91 2.24 .33 .52 .75 1.04 1.33 1.64 2.07 2.52 2.99 3.51 .4G .73 1.04 1.43 1.85 2.29 2.88 3.49 4.16 4.88 .till .~5 1.35 1.84 2.40 2.98 3.75 4.54 5.40 6.33 .75 1.18 1.68 2.29 2.99 3.73 4.68 5.65 6.71 7.89 .~)I' 1.42 2.03 2.7tl 3.61 4.46 5.64 6.84 8.12 9.54 1.07 l.tiS 2.40 3.27 4.27 5.29 6.68 8.03 9.60 11.27 1.24 1.95 2.79 3.79 4.95 6.15 7.75 9.38 11.16 13.09 10 1.42 2.24 3.20 4.35 5.68 7.04 8.84 10.76 12.78 15.44 11 1.61 2.53 3.()2 4.92 6.43 7.97 10.08 12.16 14.48 16.98 12 1.80 2.84 4.06 5.53 7.22 8.93 11.30 13.64 16.25 19.05 13 2.01 3.15 4.51 6.14 8.04 9.94 12.53 16.18 18.07 21.20 14 2.22 3.49 5.00 6.80 8.88 11.00 13.90 16.89 20.00 23.46 15 2.44 3.84 5.49 7.46 -9.77 12.80 15.24 18.45 21.96 25.76 16 2.66 4.18 6.00 8:16 10.65 13.19 16.75 20.19 24.00 28.16 17 2.90 4.55 6.52 8.88 11.59 14.34 18.12 21.95 26.11 31.30 18 3.13 4.94 7.07 9.60 12.55 15.54 19.60 23.77 28.28 33.30 19 3.38 5.33 7.62 10.38 13.55 16.77 21.16 25.62 30.49 35.75 ~'1 3.64 5.72 8.19 11.11 14.56 18.00 22.78 27.55 32.75 38.45 21 g.77 11.9tl 15.56 19.30 24.40 29.52 35.14 41.23 22 9.3f. 12.7;; 16.66 20.30 25.96 31.54 37.54 44.05 23 17.77 21.92 27.14 33.61 40.00 46.95 24 18.88 23.35 29.50 35.67 42.45 49.85 25 31.30 37.85 45.20 52.83 26 33.08 40.00 47.66 55.45 27 34.92 42.21 50.28 59.00 28 36.78 44.50 53.00 62.13 29 38.67 46.80 55.75 65.31 30 40.60 49.16 58.50 68.60 31 61.27 "1.90 32 64.12 75.20 33 G7.00 .,1.&0 34 • • • • • •e• • • 69.82 82.10
8 COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE
RELATrvE CAPA.ClTlEs 01" SILOS Depth of Silage Diameter of Silo in FeetTable I (CODt'd)
in Feet when Filling Ceased 14 15 16 17 18 19 10 21 14 1 1.24 1.42 1.62 1.83 2.06- - -2.80- -2.68. _ ~ -1.18 1.66 2 2.60 2.98 3.40 3.88 .4.31 4.82 6.31 6.42 7.64 3 4.15 4.67 5.32 6.01 6.74 7.66 8.29 10.06 11.99 4 5.66 6.50 7.39 8.35 9.37 10.49 11.66 13.97 16.63 5 7.35 8.44 9.65 10.86 12.18 13.64 16.02 13.17 21.62 6 9.15 10.62 11.96 13.62 16.16 16.97 18.69 22.61 26.92 7 11.07 12.70 14.46 16.32 18.32 20.53 22.68 Z7.32 32.57 8 13.06 15.00 17.08 19.30 21.64 24.26 26.71 32.30 18.44 9 15.17 17.43 19.84 22.42 25.14 28.18 81.02 17.55 44.60 10 17.40 19.96 22.72 26.69 28.78 32.28 36.54 42.97 61.14 11 19.70 22.62 25.72 29.08 82.60 36.68 40.21 48.'10 17.'4 12 22.10 25.36 28.89 32.64 36.67 41.06 46.16 64.81 66.04 13 24.60 28.24 32.22 36.32 40.87 4&.16 60.23 10.74 72.33 14 27.20 31.22 35.54 40.18 44.97 60.4'1 66.63 67.18 79.97 15 29.90 34.53 39.08 44.10 49.40 65.46 61.00 73.80 87.88 16 32.68 37.50 42.67 48.40 54.00 60.60 66.66 SO.63 96.00 17 35.50 40.68 46.39 52.45 58.76 65.92 72.52 87.72 104.80 18 38.45 44.19 50.27 56.76 63.61 71.35 78.61 95.00 113.00 19 41.50 47.68 54.05 61.25 68.64 77.06 84.77 102.60 122.00 20 44.60 51.23 58.28 65.83 73.80 82.80 91.10 110.15 131.20 21 47.80 54.90 62.48 70.54 79.13 88.75 97.46 118.00 140.80 22 51.10 58.80 66.70 75.32 84.48 94.72 104.20 126.10 150.09 23 54.40 62.50 71.80 80.30 90.00 100.90 111.10 134.36 159.80 24 57.80 66.30 75.48 85.27 95.53 107.20 117.95 142.65 169.80 25 61.30 70.38 80.00 90.36 101.25 113.60 125.10 151.20 180.00 26 64.80 74.40 84.64 95.54 107.22 120.20 132.30 159.95 190.40 27 68.40 78.62 89.30 100.85 113.20 126.80 139.60 168.80 200.90 28 72.10 82.80 94.10 106.25 119.25 133.60 147.10 177.80 211.80 29 75.80 87.10 98.90 111.75 125.40 140.50 154.60 187.00 222.70 30 79.50 91.30 103.80 117.30 131.60 147.50 162.30 196.30 233.80 31 83.37 95.75 108.80 122.90 137.90 154.60 170.10 205.75 245.00 32 87.20 100.20 113.80 128.60 144.35 161.70 178.00 215.20 256.30 33 91.10 104.60 118.90 134.40 150.80 168.95 186.00 225.00 268.00 34 95.10 109.20 124.20 140.25 157.35 i76.40 194.10 234.80 279.50 3ft 99.10 113.80 129.30 146.10 163.90 1R3.RO 202.20 244.60 291.20 36 103.20 118.50 134.70 152.15 170.70 191.30 210.60 254.75 303.20 37 107.20 123.10 139.90 158.15 177.40 198.80 218.80 264.80 315.20 38 111.30 127.80 145.30 164.20 184.20 206.40 227.20 275.00 327.20 39 115.50 132.60 150.80 170.30 191.20 . 214.15 235.75 285.40 339.50 40 119.60 137.40 156.20 176.40 198.10 221.95 244.30 295.60 351. 70 41 123.80 142.20 161. 70 182.70 205.10 229.85 252.90 305.80 364.00 42 128.20 147.20 167.40 189.00 212.05 237.80 261.60 316.30 376.60 43 152.00 172.90 195.30 219.20 245.65 270.20 326.R5 3R9.?" 44 178.60 201.80 226.30 253.70 279.1U 337.60 402.00 45 184.20 208.20 233.60 261.80 288.00 348.40 414.80 46 190.00 214.70 240.85 270.00 297.10 359.40 427.80 47 195.80 221.30 248.20 278.20 306.20 370.40 440.75 48 201.80 227.90 255.65 286.50 315.40 381.40 453.85 49 207.70 234.50 263.20 294.90 324.60 392.50 467.20 50 213.60 241.20 270.75 303.40 333.85 403.70 480.60
'fhe following table and how to use it isbyL. M. Schindler or the Wisconsin Agricultural College and published in Hoard's.
Dairynla...~. It is known as the King Table.
SILAGE ltIEAS11RlNG TABLID
In814e 41ameter of S110 In feet ttl ttl ttl IQ
•
at•
m=
=
WJ=
=
=
•
'-4=
0 0=
=
=
0 0 0 s:t0 E-t0 E-t E-t E-i0 E-t0 E-i0 E-t E-t E-t f+0
..c:= G) ~ ~ .i .i ...; ...; .i ~ ~ t1G~(1) as G) ....~ ... ... ... ...;... ... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~=G) 0 ....-4 ~ ~ ~ Lf:) e.c t- oo UJ'-4 00 ?""4 ....-4 ....-4 ,.... ....-4 ....-4 ....-4 ~ ~ 3 1.5 2.5 3 3.5 4.0 & 5.5 8 'I 8 6 3.5 5.5 6.5 8 9 10.5 12 14 16 17 9 5.5 9 11 13 15 17.5 20 23 26 29 12 8 13 16 19 22 25 29 33 88 42 14 10 16 19 23 27 31 36 41 48 62 16 12 19 23 27 32 37 43 49 66 62 18 14 22.5 27 32 38 44 61 &8 6& 73 20 17 26 31 38 44 61 69 67 '16 85-22 19 30 36 43 60 69 67 '16 86.6 97 24 22 34 41 49 67 66 '16 86.6 98 109 26 24 38 46 66 64 74 85 9'1 110 12& 28 27 42 51 61 71 83 95 108 122.5 137 30 30 47 56 67 79 91 105 119 135 161 32 32 51 62 74 86 100 116 130 148 16& 34 36 66 67 80 94 109 126 143 162 18" 36 39 61 73 87 102.5 118 136.5 155 176 196 38 42 65.5 79 94 110 128 148 167.5 191 211 40 45 70 85 101.6 119 138 159 180 206 229 42 109 128 148 172 193 218 2-1.. 44 137 159 184 207 233 281 46 197 222 247 277 48 236 261 293 60 110
Note:-All capacities to be determined by measuringthe depthof the 811-age 48 hours after filUng.
SILAGE MEASURING
"The preceding table affords a convenient means of comput-ing the capacity of a silo or the amount of silage remaincomput-ing in a silo ufter part has been fed off. Let us assume th·at a 12x4() silo has been filled at one filling. Forty-eight hours after filling
the depth of the silage is found to be 36 feet. How much silage
was put into the silo and how much remains after 20 feet have
been fed off? Referring to the table we find that a 12 ft. silo
with a 36 ft. depth of silage contains 87 tons. This represents.
the amount of silage put into the 12x40 silo at filling. From the table we find that the upper 20 ft. of silage in a 12 ft. silo con-tains 38 tons. This is the amount of silage fed off. The silo still
10
COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.contains the difference between 87 tons and 38 tons or 49 tons.
"All measurements should be taken from the point to which the silage has settled 48 hours after filling. If this point has not been determined assume that the silage has settled, a distance
equal to one-tenth the height of the silo, in forty-eight hours. If
.a silo is refilled, after settling, add 90% of the depth of the re-fill, at the time of filling, to the depth of the first fill at 48 hours .after filling. From this sum, the total amount of silage may be obtained by referring to the table."
CROPS FOR THE SILO
Corn is used more extensively for filling silos than any other crop and gives the best results where it can be grown most suc-eessfully, but other crops, as kaffir corn, alfalfa, clover, peas, sweet sorghum, and Russian sunflower can be used for this pur-pose.
Com for the silo should not be harvested until th·e kernel has first reached the dent condition. More food per acre will be
secured· if the corn is harvested at this stage, than ifit is
har-vested earlier. The food nutrients in stalk, leaf and kernel have
reached their development. Harvesting should not be delayed to
cause a drying out of the plant. or loss of leaves. The more mois-ture there is in the plant when harvested, the more valuable will be the resulting silage. If the corn becomes frosted, it should be put into the silo immediately, for the longer it stands after
frost-ing, the greater will be the loss of food nutrients. '
The corn crop can be cut by hand or with the corn binder. Alfalfa, clover and peas should be h·arvested for the silo when mature enough to make hay. If the haying season is very wet, these crops can be more profitably put into the silo than made into hay. These crops are cut with the ordinary mower and for
greatest economy, should be handled with a side delivery rake
and hay loader.
Sunflowers are ready for the silo when the seed is in the
milk stage. They can be harvested with a corn binder or by
hand. It is claimed that ordinarily no water need be added to sunflower silage, as the plants contain a sufficient amount them-selves. Extension bulletin- No. 158 deals with sunflowers for silage and can be had upon request. Make all such requests to Extension Service, Agricultural College, Fort Collins, Colorado.
FILLING THE SILO
The crop, whatever it may be, should be put into the silo
be-fore it dries very much. The harvesting of the crop and the fill-ing of the silo should go on at the same time. If the plant is dry,
water should be added to the silo to keep the cut material in a good state of preservation. There is no danger of adding too much water, except that there is a loss of food nutrients when water escapes from the silo. The farmer should look well to the moisture content of the silage .at time of making.
There are many different kinds of silage cutters on the mar-ket. The selection of a cutter must be left to the farmer. The
machine should be able to cut the forage to 1/2 inch lengths, and
to elevate or blow it into the silo. The size of the machine will de-pend upon the amount of work to be done and the power avail-able to drive it. Gasoline power is now being used with satisfac-tion.
A man should be placed in the silo at the beginning and kept there to evenly distribute and mix stems and leaves. If this is not done, the silage is likely to be more or less of a low quality. 'The silage should be thoroughly tramped so as to exclude air. 'The b·est man available should be placed in the silo, for the mix-ing and trampmix-ing of the silage is most important. As the silage settles, the refillings should be made before the silage on top be-gins to spoil. Water should be added while the silo is being filled, ,as it aids the silage to pack and settle. Wetting" the top thor-oughly after the filling is completed seals the silo and prevents loss.
SILAGE AS A FEED
Silage made of corn, kaffir corn, sweet sorghum and sun-flowers is highly suitable for cattle and sheep and can be fed to horses in limited quantities. Silage from these crops, if properly made, will keep good for years and can be fed at all seasons.
Silage made of clover, alfalfa and peas can be fed to all class-es of live stock. This kind of silage has not as good keeping -qu,alities as corn silage. It can be carried over from the first to the second year in good condition but should be fed before the
~econdsummer begins. Age and hot weather together cause it
to discolor and to become strong in flavor and more or less un-"palatable.
Silage is most valuable as a supplementary food when the "pastures are short during the grazing season. It should never constitute the whole of the forage ration, but should be fed sup. "plementary to pasture or some kind of roughage. The following are a few suggestive combinations that may be fed to an advan-tage involving the use of silage. All the forage that will be eaten
12
COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGESILAGE RATIONS FOR DAIRY COWS
Pounds
Com Silage 25 Clover hay 20 Wheat bran 8 or Com Silage . . . .. 30 Alfalfa hay 15 Wheat braIl 6or
Corn Silage. . . 36 Alfalfa hay 18or
Com Silage 35 Clover h,ay 10 Bran 4 Oats 4 *SILAGE RATIONS FOR BEEF CATI'LEPounds
Corn Silage . . . .. 20Clover or Alfalfa hay . . . 5
Oat Straw . . . .. 10
Corn Silage . . . .. 15
Clover or Alfalfa hay . . . 15
Corn Silage ... . . .. 20
Oat or Wheat hay 10 Oats... 4
Barley.... . . .. 4
Corn Silage . . . .. 15
Clover or Alfalfa hay. . . .. 10
Wheat bran . . . 5
Corn Silage ...~ . . . .. 30
Mixed Clover and Timothyhay. . . 6
Oat and Pea hay 15 *SILAGE RATIONS FOR SHEEP
Pounds
Corn Silage . . . 3Alfalfa or Clover h·ay. . . 2
Corn Silage . . . S Alfalfa hay 1 Corn... 1
Corn Silage 2 Clover or Alfalfa hay . . . 2
Barley... 1
*All the forage that willbe eaten up clean should be supplied and the proportions here given maintained as near as is practicable. '
Silage made of clover, alfalfa or peas is more suitable for hogs than silage made from corn. The best method of feeding this is to give what they will clean up twice a day, along with grain.
Silage can be fed in limited quantities, along with forage and grain, to horses. It is too bulky and succulent for horses at hard work.
Molded or decayed silage is inj urious to all kinds of farm animals, especially to horses. It often causes poisoning in horses and abortion and other troubles in ewes and cows. It cannot be
safely fed to any class of animals. Bad silage is caused by the
silo not being air-tight when filled or by improper filling. THE VALUE OF SILAGE
From experiments with steers conducted by G. E. Morton
and T. E. Leiper of the Colorad'o Experiment Station, the
fol-lo\ving table was made and gives the "worth" of corn silage per ton when fed with barley and alfal:fta., as indicated by these ex... periments, when barley and alfalfa cost varying amounts.
When Alfalfa 'Vhen Barley costs per cwt.
costs per $1. 75 $2.00 $2.25 $2.50 $2.75 $3.00 $3.25 ton
V'alue of Corn Silage Per Ton
$10.00 . . . $5.21 $5.53 $5.85 $6.17 $6.49 $6.81 $7.13 11.00 . . . 5.51 5.83 6.15 6.47 6.79 7.11 7.43 12.00 . . . 5.80 6.12 6.44 6.76 7.08 7.40 7.72 13.00 . . . 6.10 6.42 6.74 7.06 7.38 7.70 8.02 14.00 . . . 6.40 6.72 7.04 7.36 7.68 8.00 8.32 15.00 . . . 6.70 7.02 7.34 7.66 7.98 8.30 8.62 16.00 . . . 6.99 . 7.31 7.63 7.95 8.27 8.59 8.91 17.00 . . . 7.29 7.61 7.93 8.25 8.57 8.89 9.21 18.00 . . . 7.59 7.91 8.23 8.55 8.87 9.19 9.51 19.00 . . . 7.88 8.20 8.52 8.84 9.16 9.48 9.80 20.00 . . . 8.18 8.50 8.82 9.14 9.46 9.78 10.10
For Example: When alfalfa is selling at $20..00 per ton and
barley at $2.75 then corn silage is worth approximately _$9.46
14
PART II
PIT SILOS
ByeRAS. I.BRAY
As pit silos can be cheaply built, and as they are entirely sat-isfactory in dry land sections, their c::nstruction is here given.
Pit silos are cheaply constructed and require little attention after building. They can be filled with small machinery, the en-silage never freezes in the-~~"', and if well constructed they are nearer everlasting than any other silo. The greatest objection to
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.~--riG. I.Proper Method of Marking Outline for Pit Silo
the pit ~ilo is the extra labor required in removing the silage. Other objections of minor importance are: The liability of stock falling in; danger of carbon dioxide gas farming; and the spoil-ing of the s.ilage in wet seasons from seepage.
About twice as much time is required to remove silage from a pit silo as from an ordinary silo, but counting time at 20-cents an hour, the extra cost is only about $11.00 or $12.00 per ye·ar for a 100-ton silo. This estimate of th,e increased expense in re-moving the ensilage isalso offset by the fact that much cheaper
m~chinerycan be used in filling the pit silo.
To prevent stock from falling in the pit silo, the silo walls are usually built up about four or five feet above ground. Suffo-cation from carbonic acid gas in pit silos, while possible, has, per-haps, been over-emphasized. The formation of gas in quantities large enough to be dangerous ceases in about ten days after fIll-ing the silo. A few bundles of fodder dropped in will stir up the air so as to render it safe to enter the· silo. Gas can be detected by lowering a lighted lantern into the pit. If gas is present the light
Starting a Pit Silo
will go out. Where filling has been only partly completed and then discontinued for a few days, filling should be started again for five or ten minutes before anyone goes into the silo. The pit silo should never be built where the water level is not some ten feet or more below the desired depth of the silo. This is one rea-son why the pit silo is more popular in the semi-arid west than elsewhere. There are occasional rainy seasons when seepage water may give trouble. Thus far, however, we have not heard of much silage being destroyed in this way.
To build a pit silo, first layout a circle on the ground the de-sired size of the silo, and outside of this circle dig a trench, which should be about two feet deep and about eight inches wide. The
This Shows the Concrete Collar In Place. (Photo by Lauck.)
inside wall of the trench should be smooth and perpendicular. Fill the trench with a concrete mixture of one part cement and five
16 COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE
parts sand or gravel, well mixed and very wet. Old iron rods or old barbed wire can be used for reinforcing to keep the rim from cracking. When this concrete rim has set, go inside and excavate to a depth of about six feet below the rim. Keep the walls plumb and smooth so that it will not require too much mortar for plas-tering.
A good way to keep the walls smooth is to drill a perpendicu-lar hole in the center of the silo and set a gas pipe in this hole to
use as a pivot. If a long gas pipe is not at hand, a shorter bar
may be used, if care is taken to keep it plumb. Bore a hole near the end of a 2x4 scantling and place it over the gas pipe. Saw the other end off so its length from the gas pipe will be the same as the radius of your silo. Bolt some heavy blade on this end. For this purpose an old plowshare is good. The walls can be trimmed perfectly smooth and perpendicular with this device, but with care the walls can be kept straight without it.
The trimming should be kept well up with the digging to prevent throwing the dirt out from a greater depth. After the silo is completed the collar at the top should be extended at least one foot above ground level to prevent surface water from
run-Removing the Dirt and Trimming the Walls in Preparation for Plastering. (Photo by Lauck.)
ning into the silo. This may be built up later with bricks, con-<:rete blocks or solid concrete to a height of four or five feet above the level of the ground. If the walls are made higher than this it will be difficult to take the silage out with a block and tackle. A lot of the dirt taken out of the pit may be graded up around the silo so as to bring the ground level up three or four feet.
17
PLASTERING
For best results, the walls of a pit silo should be plastered, to prevent caving in. Pit silos can be used without plastering, but are not satisfactory after one year's use. The plaster should be made of one part cement and two and a half parts sand. Before it is put on, the wall must be well dampened. A spray pump, sprink-ler or old broom can be used for dampening the walls. The second
coat of plaster can be applied immediately after the first, but in
case more than two coats are to be put on, the first coat should set a few hours. Two coats are sufficient in heavy clay soil, but
ifthe soil is sandy or gravelly, three to five coats should be used.
The thicker the wall is plastered the nearer will the silo approach being everlasting. To save scaffolding and to avoid caving in of the walls before the pit is dug, it is best to plaster each section
six feet deep before digging further. As soon as one section is
plastered the next can be dug and plastered. Itis not advisable
to go more than twenty feet deep.
There are several good methods of removing silage from pit gilos. For a small herd, and where the silo is near the place of
Removing Dirt With Band Derrick, Which Can AfterwardBe Used for Removing Silage. (Photo by Lauck.)
ieeding, a hand-over-hand pulley with a rope and two baskets is all that is necessary. Each basket should hold about enough sil-age for two cows. With a hook on each end of the pulley rope, one basket of silage can be raised while the empty basket is low-ered. For a greater number of stock, a large box holding from 400 to 500 pounds of silage should be used. This must be raised by the use of block and tackle or windlass. The bottom of the box
18 COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE
should open on hinges and let the silage fall in a trough or wagon. An elevated track such as a hayfork track, can be arranged to carry the silage to the feed troughs. With either of these meth-ods it will require little more labor to feed from a pit silo. By
using the horse fork rope the silage is elevated by horsepower
in-stead of by manual labor. These arrangements can, of course, be
used for taking the dirt out of the silo when digging, as well as the silage.
The pit also affords a good opportunity for the small farmer with few cows to own a silo at little cost, as it is the only type of
Twin Pit Silos Located In Advantageous Proximity to the Barn This man has a derrick so located that it can be used for re-moving silage from either silo. Note bucket made from barrel.
(Photoby Lauck.)
silo a small size af which is not much more expensive per ton capacity than a large one. A pit silo of fifteen tons capacity costs no more per ton, if as much, as one that holds 100 tons.
Further information on silos and silage can be secured by writing to the Agricultural College, Fort Collins, Colorado.
