te Ls ree es ens oN Kee SEE Mas Se eas St Re a Cs, =< a a a ies eae x a PAM pa: a oe Z pate Ree ey Goes Lal oa SS atte Nene ee al “eo aay. eras io St? “" : “ OP i: - Se we ae —~, we. ee ay pg 0 ms , ie ee Ws wer ee - ae ~ ea Sat er a : ee Pe Ny ow, ek & Ce RT ~ ee , ae Pa he a ~ Se in 3 s en ca SSS ig a Me 2 ; a i Cae me X, 7 ot ~~ te te Ww rie) wae — 4 % ALY ig Ss y "4 a ae Md yak "OL AS 2 Ps pes, SILAGE, AND Crt PEE PREDING. A Practical Treatise on Growing and Harvesting Silage Crops, Building Silos and Feeding Cattle. a EAS GUILLRY, i Sc. Author of “First Lessons in Agriculture; Director of the Texas Haricultural Experiment Station. 2a F < kv OF CON ie ILLUSTRATED. Nw APR ZY 1890 /) im = GC » A whsfingwon PRICE, SO. CENTS. DALLAS, TEXAS: TEXAS FARM AND RANCH PUBLISHING CO. 1890. co Fintered according to Act of Congress in the year 1890, by TEXAS FARM AND RANCH PUBLISHING Co., 7x the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C ie FROM THE PRESS OF JOHN F. WORLEY, STATIONER AND PRINTER, b DALLAS, TEXAS, Sth N TS Chapter I—Ensilage of Forage Crops . Chapter JII—Silage vs. Dry Forage. . . Chapter III—Silage Crops and How to Son them Chapter IV—Varieties of Corn and Sorghum . Chapter V—Harvesting the Crop . Chapter WVI—The Silo... . Chapter VII—Silage as a Feed Stuff . Chapter VITI—Cattle Feeding... 5’. Chapter IX—Cattle Feeding Shed . ILLUSTRATIONS. Bedding Land—Single and Double Beds . Com Knife . i. 8. Cotton Seed Boiler . Doors for Silo . Framework of Silo . Plan of Cheap Silo . Plan of Double Silo . Pianvor (Corer of Silovi: 3°... Plan of Cattle-Feeding Shed . Rack for Hauling Forage. . Root Development of Corn . Smoothing Harrow. . . PAGE Co) tb: iS et ees Am Ss NOt PAGE. 17 DREFAGK HE following pages have been written partly at the solicitation of the Texas Farm and Ranch Publishing Company, and partly to answer more fully the many requests received for information in regard to Silos and the Ensilage of forage plants. The greater part of the literature on the subject is based on the use of Silage in the Northern States. Believing, asI do, that the climate and soil of the Southern half of the country is better adapted to the growth and ensilage of forage crops than the more Northern States, and that cattle food may here be produced at less cost, this book has been written with a desire to encourage a careful study of the most economical method of convert- ing the products of our fertile soil into beef and milk. BF. A, GULEEY: College Station, Texas, Feb., 1890. SILOS, ENSILAGE AND CATTLE FEEDING. GHA PTE WI. ENSILAGE OF FORAGE CROPS. {ilos, Ensilage and Silage, by M. Miles, p. 93. Silage vs. Dry Forage. Il It should be borne in mind, however, that while the accept- able evidence to the present time shows that a given quantity of forage cured dry, as hay, may, under the best conditions, be of as much value as the same made into silage, it does not follow that the ensilage of certain crops may not make them of more value for feeding than to cure them dry, as practised on the average farm, or on the best managed farms. Crops that are dificult if not impossible to cure dry, under ordinary conditions, without a loss of from 25 to 50 per cent or more, may be stored in the silo with safety. So that as a practi- cal method of putting up forage, the ensilage of certain crops may be of very great advantage on farms where the feeding of live stock plays an important part. We do not believe it will be found profitable in this country to ensilage forage that may be readily cured as hay—such as the grasses, and even red clover and cow peas if the weather is favor- able for drying when they are ready to harvest. Corn and sorghum are difficult to cure dry in any season without considerable loss, and especially when grown on fertile soil, where the stalks grow large and the crop is heavy. The experiments at the Wisconsin Experiment Station show that when corn is planted thin enough to make ears, and cured dry, that the larger part of the stalks will be rejected by well fed cattle unless the fodder is run through a cutter, and when cut up the butts of the stalks are not eaten. We have found that cows would waste a large portion of -dry sorghum fodder if it was not cut up before feeding. We find this opinion held by all who have fed dry corn and sorghum forage. Admitting that it is necessary to pass corn and sorghum through the feed cutter to secure economical consumption, it is evident that it will require less labor to load the crop at once on the wagon when it is cut, haul to the cutter direct and run it into the silo and have it stored in safety at one operation, than to shock in the field, tie up, then haul to the stack or barn, and move again to the cutter to prepare it for feeding. “Hon. Hiram Smith, of Wisconsin, makes the statement that by actual trial he found that a load of corn forage could be run through the feed cutter, elevated more than twenty feet, and deposited in the silo, in seven to eight minutes less time than was required to set it up in shocks in the field.’’* *Silos, Ensilage and Silage, by M. Miles, p..95. 12 Stlage vs. Dry Forage. In this connection, we refer to a statement of Prof. E. M. Shelton, Professor of Agriculture and Director of the Kansas Ex- periment Station, in which he refers to the difficulty of growing corn for both grain and forage as practiced in many of the North- ern States: * ‘But here again we encounter a serious difficulty in the fact that we are compelled, to save the fodder in good condi- tion, to harvest it early in August, when, in the present arrange- ment of farm work, it is difficult if not impossible to get the time from other duties in which to do the work; and corn cut up at this early season, as every farmer will recognize, unless at once husked and the fodder stacked or otherwise housed, becomes al- most entirely worthless from natural causes long before the feed- ing season has arrived.”’ Prof. Shelton’s experience agrees with our own in Mississippi and in Texas, where the corn crop matures in June and must be kept five or six months before feeding. Another advantage of silage over dry fodder is that it may be used as an appetizer to secure the consumption of hay that would be rejected if fed alone. We have found that old hay, straw, and even weeds, may be cut up fine and mixed with silage and the cattle would eat it readily. Fed with some concentrated food, inferor, trashy hay may give good results if the cattle can be induced to eat it. Since we have used silage we have been troubled to find anything in the plant line poor enough to use for bedding. Cattle are fond of good silage, taking it in preference to dry forage, or even grain. In our feeding experiments in Mississippi,t steers that were fed all the silage and cottonseed meal they would eat, with good hay fed by itself, consumed less than one pound of hay per day. At the Texas Experiment Station last winter, not above two pounds of hay per head per day was eaten when the cattle were red as much silage as they would consume. ‘After one of my cows had had silage for weeks, and no hay, I tried giving her at the usual feed time some very nice, bright, green hay, and silage side by side. She ignored the hay and commenced upon the silage as if ravenous with hunger. The hay *The Industrialist, April 6, 1S89. +A. and M, College Report No. 3, 188s. Silage vs. Dry Forage. 1s was then replaced with some ground oats, and corn mixed, To our surprise, the grain was left undisturbed till the silage was all gone.’’* It has been stated by some farmers that their cattle preferred dry corn fodder to silage, but the evidence is so overwhelmingly against this assertion that we are inclined to believe that when such has been the case a good quality of silage was not used in the comparison. How much influence palatableness has on digestion, cannot be determined. ‘That it is of importance in the lower animals, as well as in man, can hardly be questioned. T‘‘The form in which a given food is supplied to animals, and even its palatableness, may have a more decided influence in determining its nutritive value than slight differences in chemical composition. The same food may give different results when fed to different animals, and the benefit derived from it by the same may vary widely at different times, so that extreme caution should be exercised in interpreting the results of feeding experi- ments, and in the generalization based upon them.’’ It is essential to have the animal eat as much as possible in feeding to fatten, and in this respect silage seems to have a de- cided advantage over dry forage. The succulent condition of silage is no doubt of value. Stock feeders are agreed that cattle fed on silage have a more thrifty ap- pearance than when fed on dry forage alone. The hair becomes smooth, the bowels act promptly, and there is less liability to fever and constipation. ‘‘It is generally admitted that some form of succulent food is a valuable addition to the ordinary winter rations of live stock, and the question arises as to the best and cheapest method of providing it. The English farmer looks upon his root crop as an indispensable adjunct of his food supply for farm stock, but in this country, for many reasons that need not be stated, the raising of root. crops will not, in all probability, be extensively practised. , The steaming of feed of all kinds has been urged as the true solution of the problem, but this method has failed to gain the approval of a large majority of farmers, and where it has been tried on a considerable scale, it is apparently on the deciine.”’ *Silo and Silage, by A. J. Cook, p. 7. 7Silos, Ensilage and Sldage, by M. Miles, p 93. fSilos, Ensilage and Silage, by M. Miles, p. 94. 14 Silage Crops and How to Grow Them. ‘Silage is much more digestible than dried food, and thus the beef animal fed on it looks much more sleek and lays on fat faster, the milk cow gives more and better milk; all animals — cattle, horses, sheep and hogs—thrive upon it, and are more thrifty and healthy, because it ministers to their every need. Such men as F. D. Curtis, KE. A. Powell and J. S. Woodward, of New York; J. Gould, of Ohio; and H. Smith, of Wisconsin, dairymen of the highest intelligence, who understand their business from A to Z, all unite in the assertion that it adds decidedly to both the quantity and quality of the milk. Irecently saw in Secretary J. S. Woodward’s barns, at Lockport, N. Y., a large herd of cattle which had been carefully divided in the fall into two lots, as uniform in condition as it was possible to make them. Each lot had been crowded to the utmost by free use of mixed grains. But one lot has had silage and the other the best of clover hay. Otherwise the treatment has been the same. ‘This was a wonder- ful revelation. ‘The cattle fed silage, in condition, both as to sleekness and fat, were surprisingly superior to the others. I said if all were turned into a yard I believed I could select all of the silage-ted animals with hardly a mistake. ’ The other gentle- men present—Col. F. D Curtis, Hon. Seth Fenner and Prof. EH. F. Ladd—were as sanguine of the same ability as was I.’’* *Silo and Silage, by Prof. A. J. Cook, pp. 6 and 7. CHARTER LIT: SILAGE CROPS nee How To Grow THEM. NY EARLY all forage crops may be preserved in the silo, but, as has been remarked, the special value of the system lies in ensilaging crops not readily cured as hay. Corn is the crop of all others in the United States where corn grows well, but in the dryer portions of the country and on the thin soils of the South- ern States, sorghum grows with more certainty and yields more feedstuff to the acre than corn. On good corn land — such as may be made to yield thirty to fifty bushels of corn to the acre—I prefer corn, even in the South. It may be grown with less labor, and I think has some advantage in keeping qualities. Silage Crops and How to Grow Them. 15 In feeding value there is probably no great difference between corn and sorghum silage. So far as we can learn, no conclusive experiments have been made to determine this point. There seems to be as much or more variation in both corn silage and sorghum silage, due to different varieties and methods of growing and time of havesting, as there is between the two plants. The cultivation of the two plants is quite similar, except that sorghum is more tropical in its nature and will not bear as early planting on cold, heavy soil as corn. Sorghum does not germi- nate as quickly as corn, and it does not grow off so rapidly and keep ahead of the grass and weeds. It requires, therefore, more labor on such land. Corn for silage is planted and worked very similar to the corn grown for the grain, but it may stand thicker on the ground. We do not agree with those who recommend planting the same for either purpose, as we believe that more nutritive matter will be produced where the stand is too thick to yield the largest amount of corn alone. In the Northern States corn has a dwarf habit of growth, and we find but four to six square feet of ground given to each stalk. As we go south corn grows higher, the stalks grow larger, and from ten to twenty or more square feet are given to each stalk. The poorer the land the more room is required to enable the stalks to ear well. That the distance between stalks is not a question of latitude altogether, I have demonstrated in Missis- sippi. On land that would, under the best ordinary cultivation, produce forty bushels of corn, and where twelve square feet of land was thought to be the least space a stalk should occupy to ear well, I reduced the area to six square feet, and, by applying a moderate amount of fertilizer and giving good cultivation, in- creased the yield to seventy-five bushels of sound corn to the acre. Referring to growing corn for the grain and for forage, Prof. Shelton, of Kansas, says: ‘‘It is perfectly clear to me that we must raise corn for corn, with no thought of fodder, and corn again which has no higher purpose than the production of fodder. We must, in short, have two cornfields on every farm, receiving radically different treatment, to correspond with the different pur- poses for which they are cultivated.’’* *Annual Report Kansas Experiment Station, 1888, p. 45. 16 Silage Crops and How to Grow Them. There is a limit, however, to thick planting. Sown broad- cast, corn will yield only one-half to two-thirds as much weight of crop as when planted in drills, and it will be of poorer quality. An experiment made at Cornell University Station demonstrates this point, and it agrees with the experience of farmers generally, who have tested both ways of planting.* From our own experience, and from what we can gather from others, we would say, do not plant so thick that the corn will not make small ears on at least half of the stalks. Some varieties will ear with stalks nearer than others, and all varieties we have ever tried will stand thicker and make more ears on well fertilized land than they will on poor soil. In growing corn for silage, the object is not simply weight of crop to the acre, but quantity of nutriment matter, and this, it is believed, may be best secured by planting as suggested, varying the thickness of the stand to conform to the variety and to the fertility of the soil. In Texas and Mississippi, on land that will produce from twenty-five to thirty bushels of corn, we prefer to plant in rows four feet apart and have stalks average ten to twelve inches apart in the row, with large varieties of corn. Sorghum with rows the same, we would have the stalks not more than three or four inches apart. More weight of crop to the acre may be secured from thicker planting, but at the expense of quality. The method of planting will vary with the character of the soil. On loose, well drained soil we prefer to break broadcast and plant level. On dry, clean land, or after cotton on dry land, listing will save labor and time, and give as good results in crop. The method of listing in planting corn is very popular on the dry soils of some of the Western States, and special imple- ments are in use for the work. It consists in drilling the seed at the bottom of deep furrows run off at the usual distance of the rows, on otherwise unplowed land, and breaking out the middles later. On heavy and not thoroughly drained land, where heavy spring rains prevail, we would plant in beds to insure a stand, and secure quick germination. Either single or double beds may be used, but the latter is preferred, as it permits more thorough breaking in throwing up the *Growing Corn for Fodder and Ensilage, Bulletin No. 4, 1888. Silage Crops and How to Grow Them, as i beds, and in the double beds seeds of weeds in the soil are thrown in between the rows where they may be destroyed with the cultivator after ger- mination, instead of under the rows, where they must be cleaned out by hand labor. Figure 1 shows the single beds. The soil is turned up, «- as shown by the shaded lines,. and the seeds of weeds in the w land are left under the rows and in the best condition to grow. Figure 2 shows double beds where the weed seeds are thrown together between the rows, while under the rows the seeds are buried at the bottom of the furrows, and the crop will have sufficient time to get well started off before the weeds come up. The furrow by the side ot each row dries and warms the soil around the seed nearly equal to the single bed, and the soil is left in better condi- tion for broadcast cultivation. { After throwing up the beds RY with the plow they should be well harrowed to break up the clods and compress the soil. Meh I i i i ’ ix 715.2 Figure 3 shows a home-made implement that will do good work after the harrow, in preparing the seed bed for planting. It is simply a stick of timber, ten to twelve inches square, and eight feet long, rigged up as shown in the cut. Only the front and bot- tom sides of the Jog need squaring. 18 Silage Crops and How to Grow Them. Whatever method of preparation is adopted, the seed should be planted on the freshly prepared land while the soil is still moist, to secure germination before the weeds start. Corn may be planted by hand in an open furrow and covered with another furrow, but so much time is saved by using a planter, and the seed is so much more evenly distributed, that we would recommend using some one of the many planters now on the market. A common grain drill with all of the spouts but two plugged up does very good work, and may be used on the double beds described, and plant two rows at a time. The old saying, ‘‘A crop well planted is half worked,’’ holds true with corn. It pays to have the ground well plowed, thor- oughly harrowed and made fine and compact before the seed is putin. Early planting is desirable in the Southern States, but not at the cost of poor preparation. | For some years we have had occasion nearly every spring to break up and replant patches of early planted corn where the worms, wet weather or other causes have made a defective stand, and in nearly every case the part replanted has made a better crop than that planted two or three weeks earlier, and with less work to keep clean. The better growth is due to the extra plowing and better condition of the soil from the double preparation. A day or two after planting the ground should be harrowed broadcast, lengthwise or crosswise, with a large framed but light Silage Crops and How to Grow Them. 19 harrow,* having small teeth slanting backwards; again when the corn is coming up, and still again when it is three to four inches high. The Thomas smoothing harrow (Fig. 4) is designed espe- cially for this work, and we consider it indispensable to grow corn at the least cost. With this harrow fifteen to twenty acres may be gone over in aday. The grass and weeds may be kept down and the soil loosened on the surface until the corn is large enough to cultivate; then use a one-horse cultivator that works the entire space between the rows at one bout, without ‘‘barring off,’ and breaking out the middles, as is practiced in many places, or the two-horse implement that finishes the row at one time. The early cultivation of corn may be deep, but it is of no ad- vantage if the land is well prepared before planting. After corn is one and a half to two feet high deep cultivation seriously in- jures the crop. Figure 5 gives an idea of the root development of corn at this stage of growth. The upper roots are the principal feeders, and deep cultivation tears them off and cuts down the supply of plant food at the time most needed. A narrow bladed, long winged sweep, that will cut not more than two inches deep, is the best implement we have used for the late working. Corn and sorghum are two crops that may be grown with a great deal of certainty in all of the southern half of the country— corn on the richer and moist lands, sorghum in localities where summer drouths prevail and on the poorer soils. *Having trom 64 to 72 or more teeth. 20 Varieties of Corn and Sorghum. With good preparation of the soil before planting, if it is not in good and clean condition, and shallow cultivation often enough to prevent the surface from crusting over, one or the other of these two crops is almost certain to make a fair yield in any season, and PIGLS. produce more feedstuff to the acre than can be gotten from any any other crop. ‘The safe storage of these crops in the silo may also be counted on, which is not true of making hay, as good weather is one of the essentials in harvesting red clover, cow peas and the coarser grasses when cured in the dry form. Varieties of Corn and Sorghum. 21 CH4aPiTER LV. VARIETIES OF CORN AND SORGHUM. ¥ HE best variety of corn for silage is one that will grow large, = have plenty of leaves, and make ears when the stalks are near together. Large size of the stalks is not objectionable, as they are cut into small pieces and become softened in the silo, and will be readily eaten. For dry corn fodder the small-stalked varieties and the sweet corns are no doubt best, but as these will not yield so much, and the forage contains little if any more food material in proportion to weight after passing through the silo, they are not to be rec- ommended for silage in the Southern States, and they are being discarded at the North. We have planted the large varieties of Northern sweet corn several times but have never been able to get more than one-half the yield produced by varieties of Southern field corn. What effect planting the most prolific varieties of sweet corn for several years would have, we are not prepared to say, but it has been conclusively shown that northern sweet corn is not equal in value to common field corn in the Southern States for silage. While speaking of corn, we wish to call attention to the fact that southern varieties of corn contain more nutriment in propor- tion to weight than northern corn. The celebrated B. & W. corn, so largely grown in the Central and some of the Northern States, for silage, on account of its large yield, is simply a white native field corn of Virginia. A number of tests have been made to compare southern with northern corn at the North, and when the warm season has been long enough to mature the southern corn, it has shown a larger amount of food element than the northern corn. Where it has not sufficiently matured it has not been of equal value. We extract the following from Wisconsin Experiment Station Bulletin No. 19, April, 1889. Nine varieties of corn were planted and handled in the same way, and cut September 5, before the large southern varieties were Sully matured. pesrireers 22 Varieties of Corn and Sorghum. Table Showing the Weight of Green Fodder, Dry Matter, Sugar and Protein per Acre: ele BI} | = a : [o) ~ on La r Loo 5 Ay O r a S g n # Eee la cee VARIETIES. OER Oe = 3 Pe | A o oe, A, en Bas AEM ee =e ee 2 v See) Sy oS em a | Selepeiiiig = Wee ‘a zs | & & e Reine: Eagthip (hint) psig ee tance oe Sept.5| 26,200] 8.352} 982.4] 572.0 smedley (large yellow dent) ........... 5| 33-570] 10.160/1393.0] 632.3 Bveronecny SWeéet../.fis.sabteae. <2 owns “ 5] 22,69 | 5,526) 855 6] 352.0 Ba Oen ANGE S A danas Sh ee SRR, cE nc tee “5! 39,800] 9,028/1329.0| 474.1 Sibley 7s sheep! Moothies ns ste * "5| 31.490] 75785|1182.0] 437.5 SOutherny Linswlaae: Aekm weet wan eee cre * 5| 43.700] 11,060]1877.0] 697.7 Normandy White Giant ........°... * 5| 37-390] 9,906]1237 0} 625.0 | POuthenneblo tem OOtieemnn = aera “\ 5| 42,060] 14.070/2419 0} 984 7 Hareo Bros,’ Ensilage(!:.... 22.2: 28 5] 38. 890] 10,150|13 10.0] 634.3 “Tt is seen from the table that at the date of cutting, Septem- ber 6, the value of the corn, according to the yield of dry matter, would be in the following order, beginning with the highest: Southern Horse Tooth. Southern Ensilage. . Smedley Dent. . Normandy White Giant. . Fargo Bros.’ Ensilage. B. & W. Ensilage. . Sibley’s Sheep Tooth. King Phillip. . Evergreen Sweet. ‘Although the Southern Ensilage is slightly ahead of the Smedley Dent in actual pounds of dry matter produced, yet the greater maturity of the Smedley would place it second in the list, if ranked according to feeding value. ‘While the above figures would indicate that the sweet and flint corns were of rather low value for the silo, yet one must take into account the fact that the summer of 1888 was exceptionally favorable to the growth of the southern and adverse to the north- ern varieties. Another season may reverse the figures, especially Varieties of Corn and Sorghum. 23 ifit is a cold, rainy one. It is evident from the table that marked difference in composition, as well as yield, exists between the northern and southern corns ; also that the weight of green fod- der per acre is no indication of the true value of the corn. The large, rank-growing corns (B. & W. and Fargo Bros.’ ensilage), while giving in one case 5000 and in the other 6000 pounds more green fodder to the acre, yet gave no more nutritive matter than the Smedley, a yeliow dent variety of the Pride of the North type, suitable for northern Illinois, but a little too large and late for a general field crop in this vicinity. We must, therefore, in judg- ing of the value of a corn, take into account the ¢ime necessary for its maturity. It is necessary that the corn be far advanced toward ripening, and that it be sufficiently matured to have obtained its maximum of growth without having lost its succulence. This condition is obtained when the kernel of the ear is glazed so as not to be easily dented with the nail. Besides having a greater feeding value, corn that has been allowed to mature to the point of glazing has nearly twice as much nutritive matter to the ton as that cut when the ears are just beginning to show the tassel.”’ What this showing would have been if the later southern corns had been allowed to reach the stage of maturity of the Smedley dent may be inferred from the quotation, but we have direct evidence to show that they would have been of considera- ble more value. This point will be referred to later, under the discussion of ‘‘When to Harvest.’’ For several years we have noticed that our cattle would not eat as many pounds of silage per day as cattle consumed in the Northern States, although some of our cattle were brought from the Northern States. The ration recommended by Northern cattle feeders is from 50 to 75 pounds of silage per day, with grain, and reports are not uncommon of large cows and steers eating as high as 100 pounds of silage. With a few exceptions 40 pounds of southern-grown silage is the maximum amount we have been able to get steers or cows to eat per day. Last winter, at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, twenty-four Texas steers ranging from 800 to 900 pounds, live weight, consumed on the average, each, daily, through the feed- ing test, less than twenty-two pounds of silage per day, with from one and a half to six pounds of hay and grain or cotton seed, and cotton seed meal, and made an average gain of over two pounds 24 Varieties of Corn and Sorghum. per day for eighty-three days. Running over several years work in our feeding, the average amount of silage consumed per head per day, with grain, is under thirty-five pounds, yet we get as large gain in weight, and yield of milk and butter as is reported from feeding fifty pounds of northern grown silage, and an equiva- lent amount of*grain.t Investigations made by Mr. H. H. Harrington, Chemist of the Texas Station, throw some light on the question of com- parative values of northern and southern grown silage.* Twenty-two analyses were made of the silage during the feed- ing test of last winter, and to compare with the average of these, analyses of silage in Northern States were collated with the follow- ing results. Average Analyses of Corn Silage, from Experinent Stations of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Maryland and Texas : STATE. = = 2 = oa i E oa Fy é > 9 orice Gran le os aoe | Met yet acer ’ 3 Srl ie F “aan (dea = Sane ee diel eed bly Sai Ae © mie eee =| as . Massachusetts. ... | 8 | 79 66] 20 34/ 1.05] 5 15] o 76) Le easy Connectiegticct coe ee 4h 480) 50). 15,4| . 1 F7 lis O2\ 0 @ Gglant. 4g|.t0. 08 Wisconsin... .. I 77 Q4| 22-06) 1.70! 592) OF79|. 1-92) TT7so Maryland .... AL | FO). TA 20 (66) “Rob 7 Bol) Sr os|) Vie 25 “Sr 7o Cis eis Os ree 22 64 59] 35-41| 2.99] 12.14] 2.09] 2 97] 15.69 An examination of the above table will show that our silage contains 70 per cent. more dry matter, twice as much crude fibre and fat, more than double the amount of protein, and 50 per cent. more nitrogen free extract than silage grown in the North. The larger amount of the chemical constituents represents so much more nutritive matter, and, if the results of this investiga- tion are corroborated by further analyses, the reason why cattle make as great return from one pound of southern silage as they *Bulletin No. 6, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. +Texas Expt. Station Bulletin No. 6, pp. 28, 29, 30. Varieties of Comm and Sorghum. 25 do from one and a half to two pounds of northern grown silage is explained. All authorities agree that the most nutritious silage is made from corn that is nearly matured, and the difficulty that confronts the farmer of the Northern States is to get a prolific variety of corn that will become sufficiently matured before frost. We, of course, have no trouble from early frosts in the South, and can, therefore, let corn mature to any stage we desire. It seems probable also, from what we can learn of southern varieties of corn grown in the Northern States, that is, from planting southern grown seed, that the corn has greater inherent nutritive value than northern varieties where it has opportunity to mature. It would seem that either our climate or the long seasons and method of harvesting which has permitted corn to thoroughly ripen on the stalk for years, has developed in it greater food value than is possessed by corn grown in a higher latitude. We refer to the food value of the entire plant—stalk, leaf and ear. We have dwelt on the value of southern corn simply from a desire to show that the Southern States possess superior facilities for supplying food for live stock, and especially in the use of the silo. SoRGHUM We cannot speak positively in fegard to the comparative merits of different varieties of sorghum. For making hay the smaller varieties, such as the early am- ber, are preferred. In Kansas, and in some parts of Texas, the non-saccharine sorghums are quite largely planted for forage, and it is claimed that some of them are better adapted to poor land and dry seasons than the sweet sorghums. Kaffir corn is perhaps the most prolific of all sorghums in seed production, yielding from twenty-five to fifty or more bushels to the acre, but the stalks are hard and woody. After growing quite a number of these sorghums, including Kaffir corn, Doura, chicken corn and some other plants that have been extensively advertised and lauded, such as Pearl millet and Teosinte, we have not been so well satisfied with any of them as with the Orange, Honduras and other large, sweet sorghums for silage. In weight of crop to the acre, possibly Teosinte will surpass the sorghums, but it does not seed before frost, even in Texas, 26 flarvesting the Crop. and starts off very slowly in the spring, requiring more cultiva- tion than the sorghums. It is a coarse, woody plant, and, in our limited experience, not very palatable to cattle. From our present knowledge, we are not disposed to recom- mend any of these new forage plants as being better, or even equal to the sweet sorghums for silage, and of the latter we prefer the large varieties, but would plant thicker than if growing for syrup or for seed alone. CHAP TE RGV. HARVESTING THE CROP. crop grown for silage to the time it is ready to harvest, for the cultivation to this point is very similar. The great weight of the crop calls for skillful management in harvesting, or the cost of handling will out balance the gain from the ensilage system. The proper time to hagvest corn has received some attention from our experiment stations, and as the results obtained from different states agree we may accept them with confidence. BEST PERIOD FOR CUTTING. “For this test, from a field of Sibley’s Pride of the North Corn, planted in hills, fair average hills were selected at different times, cut and weighed, and a sample sent to the laboratory for analysis. At the same time a number of hills sufficient to give a fair average of the yield per acre were also cut and weighed. In this way both the yield per acre and the quality were ascertained. The corn was planted on May 7th, the first cutting was made on July 24th, at which time the plants were just coming into bloom. The second cutting was made August 8th, when the corn was hardly in the roasting ear condition. The third cutting was made September 3rd, at which time the majority of the ears were out of the milk, and in one weeks’ time the adjoining corn was ready Flarvesting the Crop. 27 to cut and shock. Below are given the results: | oe r ie e [Dry Matter Proeis Carb-hy- Period,| Date of | Yield|lbs. | Percent | hounds pounds Fat lbs. drates Cutting. per acre Water per acre. | per acre. | per acre. |lbs per acre Ie July 24. 18 762 89.34 2 000 250 6 42. 1543 6 Il. | Aug. &. 24 578 $3.57 4 039 363 4 81.9 3328 9 Ill. Sept. 2. 27 674 73.93 472 142 585.8 199 I 6166.7 “Tt will at once be seen that the most marked difference in the composition of the fodder cut at the different periods consists in the constant and rapid decrease in the amount of water. While the gross yield increased only about 50 per cent from July 24th to September 3rd, the amount ot dry matter increased more than 350 per cent. > At the Pennsylvania Experiment Station, with ten varieties of corn, similar results were obtained. We copy weights of two varieties of corn from the report:T YIELD PER ACRE. 4 ¢ ; es Bio |p Be 2 Zz Se hea aie 2B VARIETY OF CORN. re Se) S& o- = ‘oh = OD = dc, 2D wu S nS on « a o Os oo = fata £8 2s s eu S ee ae & ica] mM % Chester County Mammoth: EresheGreena@ornnh yr meta ae 26,670| 32,250] 32,620] 15,768 Dry vere aR Lic genic tt 3,392 4:33 5.690 7-381 S f ; ; 670 0.950| 15.280 Calica Dent rege Ss 2 pics he 30:95 5 Dry IWatier tase h he 2,633 3,825 55344 7,095 In the report referred to, Mr, Caldwell summarizes as follows, referring to the results obtained in Pennsylvania and New York. Letting 100 represent the dry matter per acre of corn cut when in tassel, the gain would be shown by the following figures: STATE. First Period | Second Period] Third Period | Fourth Period Pennsylvania . 100 153 212 325 Wew York. 2. 100 202 361 *Cornell University Experiment Station Bulletin, No. 4, p. 52. +Annual Report, State College Experiment Station, Penn., 1888, pp. 28-9. 28 Hlarvesting the Crop. The very marked increase of dry matter after corn tassels shows how much food material is lost in cutting at this stage of growth. A larger proportion of the dry matter at the first stage may be digested, but if the food is palatable to the animal, so that he will eat it clean when cut at the time the corn is nearly or fully ripe, the difference in digestibility cannot be very great. So far as the qualiity of the silage made from corn cut at the different periods is concerned, all who have had experience agree that the early cut makes sour silage, and more of it spoils, while the corn cut nearly ripe, after the kernels are hard, makes sweet silage, and it keeps better in the silo, and is more palatable to cattle. There can be no question but that silage from matured corn is a more desirable feed stuff in every respect than the watery, im- mature stuff made from corn cut when in the tasseling stage. So much has been said in regard to early cut corn and other hays, as well as to early cut fodder corn, that the opinion prevails that all early cut forage is superior to the same matured. Ifa large variety or field corn is allowed to ripen and then cut and shocked and afterwards fed out whole, not more than one-half will be eaten, and hardly that by well fed cattle. Such forage would be much improved, no doubt, by cutting before the stalks become dry and woody, but mature corn stalks dried in the shock, and silage from the same, packed in the silo when fresh cut, are very different materials. The first is not much more palatable to the animal than so much dry brush, while the latter is eaten with relish. We have no complete data at hand as to the changes that take place in the feeding value of sorghum from the time it blos- soms until the seed is ripe. The quantity of sugar increases up to full maturity, and the same is no doubt true of all the food ele- ments. ‘ We have found that sorghum ensilaged when the seeds were getting hard, keeps better and makes sweeter silage than when cut earlier, but if it is allowed to get over ripe, or is put in the silo when very dry, it becomes dry and musty. We prefer to cut cow peas, either for hay or to ensilage, about the time the first pods begin to ripen, and we would put in red clover at the same time it is cut for hay. For cutting down corn and sorghum in the fields, mowers flarvesting the Crop. 29 and reapers have been used, but with heavy crops, cutting by hand with a corn knife is generally practiced. We prefer the knife shown in Figure 6 to the straight handle and blade. St ig | ey, 719.6 We cut and throw three rows together on the ground, in bundles as large as a man can pick up, stalks straight, butts even and all one way. The bundles are not bound. A wagon with a wide frame is driven close to the bundles and the corn picked up and laid straight, crosswise of the wagon, butts all in one direction. An ordinary farm wagon with hay rack will require a man on the wagon to load, and the lifting from the ground to the wagon is heavy and slow work. A truck wagon with low wheels is a great improvement on the ordinary farm wagon, but the ar- rangement shown in Figure 7 is the best thing we know of for hauling the crop from the field. The running gear of any farm wagon may be used. The pieces supporting the bed may be round poles, or sawed stuff 4x6 and 17 feet long. ‘They may be attached to the rear axle with chains, or an iron rod passing over the axle and through the poles, with taps below. ~ 30 flarvesting the Crop. Ae A false bolster, a, (Fig. 8) is attached to the front axle with chains, heavy wire, rope, or clevis made for the purpose. A king Flarvesting the Crop. 31 bolt, shown in the cut, passes through the false bolster and the block bolted between the head pieces of the frame. The king bolt should be 114 inches in diameter, and fit loosely in the hole through bolster and block, or it will be liable to break, as it has to support a heavy load and horizontal strain. ‘The frame should be six or seven feet wide ; cross pieces, 2x4 stuff; planks on top, 1x6; standards to keep the load from the wheels, are 2x4, and may Pigg, & be attached with '%-inch carriage bolts and turned down flat out of the wav when no load is on the bed. ‘The front end of hounds on rear axle is attached to the cross piece on the frame. The pole, or wagon tongue, must be fastened to hounds on front axle in such way as to make it stiff, to keep the axle from turning. The lower side of bed pieces should be six or eight inches above the ground, so that the frame will not drag when the wheels run into a depression. The load being carried so low, a man may stand on the ground and easily lay on as much green corn, or sorghum, as the team can haul, doing away with the necessity of a man on the wagon to load This rack will be found convenient for hauling hay from the field when a horse fork is used for unloading, and save a good deal of the heaviest work in the hay field. When the wagon is Joaded it should be driven close to the rear end of the cutter table, butts of the stalks toward the cutter, so that the forage may be drawn straight from the wagon and run through the machine without lifting and turning it around. 32 Flarvesting the Crop. To carry out this arrangement the belt from the cutter should run forward to the pulley on horse power or jack, which should stand between the cutter and thesilo. Ifthere is not room between the cutter and the silo for the horse power, or engine, with the carrier straight ahead, an angle carrier may be used and the cutter stand parallel with the front side of the silo. It is essential to have the cutter stand so that the loaded wagon may be driven up to the rear end of the cutter table, and the stalks moved straight forward on the table. The cutter should rest on the ground, or ona platform level with the ground, so that there will not be much lifting of the forage to get it on to the table. We have dwelt on the loading of the wagon, and unloading on the table of the cutter, because this is the heavy and costly labor of the ensilage system. The handling of a crop weighing from ten to twenty or more tons to the acre is no small matter, and unless special care is taken to have everything arranged in the most convenient manner the cost of filling the silo will be greatly increased. In handling a large crop we prefer to use three wagons and two teams. This allows one wagon in the field loading, one going from field to cutter while the other is being unloaded on the cut- ter. The men at the cutter move the wagon out of the way as soon as the load is off. The load from the field is left behind the machine and team taken off and hitched to the empty wagon to go after the next load. The hands required to keep everything moving are, one man to feed the cutter, one to pass the forage to him from the wagon, a man to help load in the field, and a man with each team — the drivers to help load the wagons — two men to cut down the corn in the field, one man to level the chopped forage in the silo and tramp the edges and corners, and one man to look atter the en- gine or horse power. With the field near the silo, and sufficient power to run the cutter up to its capacity, this force of nine men should put in forty tons a day in ten hours, provided everything is managed so there will be no delays. THE CUTTER. There are quite a number of good feed cutters manufactured. We have used the cycle cutters, with the knives attached to the balance wheel, of which the Belle City is the type, and the revolv- Flarvesting the Crop. 33 ing knife head cutters, like the Ross, Silver Deming and others. We will not say that these machines are all equally good and dur- able, but we do not hesitate to affirm, after having used some five different makes, that more depends on having all the taps tight on the cutter, and a careful feeder who will be on the lookout tor sticks, monkey-wrenches and other things that seem to have a propensity for getting into the forage, than on the particular make of the machine. The knives must be carefully watched, for if they get loose something will be apt to break. The journals should be kept well oiled and knives sharpened as often as they become dull. The cutters all have carrier attachment, and the carrier is an es- sential part, unless the silo is in a basement and the cutter can stand above it. The carrier should be long enough to extend up over the silo wall and one-third of the distance across the silo, so that the cut forage will drop in the center of the pit. If the silo is filled rapidly the cut forage should be well tramped down next to the walls and in the corners. If but two or three feet in depth of forage is put in each day it is well to let it pile up in the center of the pit and let it lhe until the next morning in a loose heap, when it will be well warmed up, and then pitch the hot forage over against the walls, tramping it down as it is thrown over. There need be no hurry about filling if the crop is not ripen- ing rapidly, and stopping two or three days while filling will do no harm. Ifa break down occurs and the work has to stop for more than three days, level off the forage and cover with six inches of hay or straw. ‘This covering should be thrown out when filling commences again. We have stopped nine days with the silo half full, waiting for a later planted crop to ripen, without any apparent injury to the silage. Fill to the top of the silo walls, and after the cut for- age has settled for a day or two fill up again, and repeat the pro- cess until settling has ceased before putting on the covering. In a silo twenty feet deep the silage will settle five or six feet if filled rapidly, and refilling three or four times inside of two weeks will be necessary to have the silo remain nearly full after settling ceases. We have stated that a layer of two feet of cut straw or old hay is as good a cover as anything, and that this layer of stuff will become moldy and unfit for food. If no cover is put on, the 34 The Silo. cut forage will simply spoil down for a foot or more, and this will act as a cover for the silage below. LENGTH OF CUT. We have found no advantage in cutting the forage very short. The finely cut may pack more closely: together, but cutting one and a half inches in length seems to answer as well as cutting finer. We left two of the knives off from our four-knife cutter last summer, and we find the silage is relished by the cattle, and keeps as well as when cut finer, and the capacity of the cutter is much increased. Not more than three-fourths of the capacity claimed in the catalogues for the different sizes of cutters need be expected with average management, and at least one-third more power should be provided than they state is necessary. CHAPTER. THE SILO. SYayeE present the plan of a silo which differs in construction from 0G s} the wooden silos built in some portions of the country, in having several horizontal girts in place of vertical studding, as in house building. Our first wooden silo was built in this way. The horizontal frame work was suggested from the construction of the bins in grain elevators, where the resistance against side pressure has re- ceived a good deal of attention. Our first silo had brick walls, thirteen inches thick, laid in Portland cement, and it was nine feet deep, one-half in the ground. The second year we built a wooden ‘frame work on top of the brick wall, making the silo eighteen feet deep. The silo was filled with chopped corn sixteen feet, and in a few days the brick wall cracked near the ground, and if we had not discovered it at once, the entire wall on one side would have fallen out. We se- cured the wall with strong props, but the cracks spread suffi- ciently to cause considerable loss of silage next to the wall. Ttwo years later a silo twenty feet deep, fifteen feet square inside, with ten-inch square posts at each corner, and 6x1o horizontal girts, filled with wet and rather green corn, gave way at one of the cor- The Silo. 35 ners, and the 6x1o girts sprung five inches in the centre. ‘The silo was saved only by heavy props. In 1888 Prof. Shelton, of the Kansas Agricultural College, made some experiments with the dynamometer to determine the pressure against the walls of a silo, and found, twenty feet from the surface, with corn fodder cut in one-half inch lengths, the pressure was fifty-seven pounds to the square foot of wall. Reasoning from this determination, Dr. Miles, referring to silos with vertical studding, says: ‘‘From the data thus furnished it will be safe to use 2x4 inch studs for a wall 12 feet high, 2x6 inch studs for a wall 14 feet high, and 2x8 studs for a wall 16 feet high, if they are in each case placed ftom :6 to 18 inches apart from center to center, and sheathed on the inside by two thick- nesses of inch boards, ‘The sizes given are in fact considerably in excess of what is actually required to secure stability, if reason- able eare is exercised in other details of construction.’’* In our own opinion, the pressure against the walls is not al- togethor a question of depth of the silo, or fineness of cut, and therefore cannot be estimated as in a grain bin, or tank for liquids, therefore we do not place much reliance on a single test to deter- mine this point. With three connected silos, we have noticed that there is no regularity in the pressure shown by the bulging out of the walls. We have made no tests to learn what causes the unusual pressure at times, or to determine its extent, but our observation has led us to believe that quite green or wet corn may produce a much heavier pressure against the walls than mature or partially cured corn, but not in proportion to difference in weight, and that for- age rapidly filled in exerts more pressure than when filled slowly, There seems to be no regularity, as with two silos fiilled together on alternate days, and with the same material, we have had one or two years, one to bulge out while the walls of the other would not spring perceptibly. We are inclined to believe the pressure is largely due to the formation of gasses seeking an outlet, and not to the weight of the mass, but, as already intimated, this is a mere supposition, for which we have no experimental proof. With the horizontal girts, the greatest strength and simplic- ity of construction is secured with the least material in the frame work, unless the silo is made round, and the girts are made in the *Silos, Ensilage and Silage, by M. Miles, p. 7. The Silo. ela A ‘p 4 eee ide 3 | 3 | 232 Etre Se ec. o > co aa of Tao OM ¥ - 85 ace! A a aaa = -O > a a QV IW ae Se ae i Van ooo x Se cet a s of our of hoops of sever pped and solidly nailed together. Vv > wv oO 8 2 form 1 The Sade: 37 Figure 9 shows the frame work and lining of a double silo, each pit 18 feet square inside and 20 feet deep. The outside girts are made of 2x10x20 feet planks, three planks in each girt, ex- cept the top girt, or plate, which has but two. ‘The girts in the cross wall are made of 2x8 planks, The corner framing is shown in Figure 11, with the cross braces of 2x6 stuff (a@ a). These braces are put in to dispense with the right-angle inside corners, but at the same time they Fig Ul. strengthen the corner joints and the intersection of the cross walls with the outside (Fig. 12), The doors are shown, a a, Eig. 9, and detail of door Fig. 10. 5S, BIST I, are 2x6 pieces sawed square at the ends and put in as. the frame work is built up, to support the girts. 38 The Silo. It will be noticed there is no mortise and tenon work. The planks are simply sawed off square and spiked together with 206 and 4oé nails. ‘Two half-inch bolts should be put through the planks at the corner of each girt and at the intersection of cross wall. Figure 12 shows how the ends of the planks of the outside girts lap over the cross wall girt center plank, on either side, above and below. ‘The laps should be well spiked from above and below, after the frame is up, so that they cannot draw apart. The silos are lined double inside with 1x12x20 feet planks ex- tending from bottom of silo to top of plate. The planks are laid to break joints, as shown in Figure 9. It is well to have the lin- ing planks dressed on one side, so that they will be of even thick- ness and lay smooth, but this is not essential. The inner planks should be of good, sound lumber, all heart if it can be procured. Between the lining planks a layer of tarred building paper is placed to make the wall air tight. Dressed and matched flooring or ceiling is no better than good, common 1x12 planks for the lining. ‘The lining will swell up tight when the moist forage is put into the silo. The lining planks should be well nailed to each girt, eight-penny nails in the outer plank and ten- “Peay nails in the inner. BILL OF MATERIAL. FEET. 105, pieces 2 X 10 x 20 ft. sills, girts and” plates, 4.8! 2.2 eat" 50 SY host PENS, SOOO. Cnn Uy ‘-erossawall '. 7540 a5 “. 2x 36x18 “ supports and cross cormer braces; ‘630 BOO). ih). iT Rae. Lintgs~ plains - yy: ee ieee 3 OOOO ACN pts, 2 RAY RN TA TALEOLS ale iis! 8h csgtheun swarm uamnaetateae nts a Mc ahe Tix TOOL, SHES IDR ts kala Aer tos vem, 7 aie eee ue Ca 11,932 3,000 Square feet tarred building paper. 10 M Shingles. 75 %“x 7“ Iron bolts. 150 %“ Washers. I Keg 4o-penny nails. 2 Kegs 20 penny nails. 2 Kegs 1o-penny nails. 1 Keg 8-penny nails. 30 pounds 4-penny nails. Brick foundation wall 12 inches thick, 18 inches high: 4,500 Bricks. 2 Barrels lime. 2 Barrels cement. The Silo. 39 CONSTRUCTION. Build the silo on dry ground, on a slight elevation, so that water will not stand near the walls. Dryness may be secured by cutting a ditch a foot deep around the silo, if the ground is flat. A 12-inch brick or stone wall six inches high above ground, and foundation below frost line, for the sills to rest on, will make the best job, but when the means are limited lay the sills on blocks, four inches above the ground, and after the silo is built lay a 1x12 plank on edge inside against the lining, and fill the floor with dirt up to the bottom of the sills. When the silo is emptied pull the dirt back from the walls, so that the air will pass under, filling in again before putting in the next crop. With a brick or stone foundation, fill with dirt nearly to the top of the wall. If the sills rest on a wall the sills should be anchored to the wall at the center, with a 34-inch bolt bedded in the wall and passing up through the sill at the side of each silo, to hold the sill from springing out on the wall and letting in air. A short piece of 2x4 stuff bedded lengthwise in the wall, flush with the top, to which the lower plank of the sills may be spiked, will answer the same purpose. Having the material on the ground, commence with the planks for the plates. Saw them the proper length and lay on the ground at one side of where the silo is to stand, in the same position they will occupy in the silo. Continue with ‘the planks for the girt next below the sill, and so on till all the planks are fitted and the girts piled one above the other, the sills on top. The inside edges should be plumb and even. By this method, laying each plank in place as soon as fitted, no mistake need be made, even by one who has but little mechan- ical skill. After all the pieces are cut and in place, take off the upper run of planks, cross wall and all, which will be the lower run of the sill, lay it on the foundation and see that it is level. Follow with the second plank, spike together at intervals of two feet with 20-penny nails, and then the third plank, and spike with 40-penny nails, and the sill is complete. Cut up the. 2x6 supports (s, Fig. 11), 23 pieces 2 feet 6 inches long, set up in place and toe nail with ro-penny nails. Lay on first run of planks of first girt, and spike on top of 2x6 supports. See that it lies plumb with the sill, and stay with 40 The Silo. temporary strips on the outside. Proceed as directed until the frame is all up, taking pains to see that each girt is plumb with those below, and braced or stayed sufficiently to hold it rigidly in place. The second run of 2x6 supports (s, Fig. 11) are 3 feet long, third run 3 feet 6 inches, fourth run 3 feet 9 inches, fifth and last run 4 feet 5 inches. The supports either side of the doors should stand plumb one above the other, but a slight variation will not matter with the others. After the frame is up, put on first layer of lining planks and follow with the tarred paper. We prefer to cut the rolls of paper into lengths of 20 teet and 6 inches, and tack up the strips verti- cally. Let the edges lap about two inches and use just enough 6-ounce tacks to support the paper, and follow with the inside lining plank, breaking joints with the outer plank. A few planks will have to be ripped to fit in the corners and not have one crack come over another. If the planks are seasoned and dry, it will add to the dura- bility of the lining to paint the inside with hot coal tar. If coal tar is used it should be boiled down until it will get nearly hard when cold. If the planks are green leave off the paint until the next summer. The tar may be put on with a swab made of a rag tied on the end of a stick. Tarred paper should be put between the planks on the doors, and it is well to tack strips of paper over the cracks around the doors when filling the silo. The silo is shown without a roof in order to display the inner construction. A good roof is one of the essentials, and it may be of whatever style is most convenient, but if quite flat, it should rest on a second plate three feet above the silo wall proper, to allow room for tramping the silage next to the wall. The floor of the silo may be covered with brick, cemented or grouted, but a dirt floor answers very well if it is higher than the ground outside, so that it will keep dry. If the ground is sandy it will be well to cover the floor with three or four inches of clay, moistened and packed down solid. The roof the silo should project two feet all around, to throw the water away from the building and to keep the foundation dry. In the Gulf States the building need not be weather-boarded, so far as the silage is concerned, but from the central to the north- ern part of the country the outside should be sheeted and bat- The Silo. 4I tened, and in the extreme north, building felt Should be tacked on to the girts under the sheeting to protect the silage from frost. A CHEAP SILO. For the benefit of those who desire a cheap silo, we submit a plan which provides for posts set in the ground (Fig. 16). The i, 7, W/. Y \X A // MO Wi SAY a _ } 7 ae: / ( ‘ \ AMAL ed iN . at cone GEREEn a A WANA AT AN St ih si i —— wT IAS 7 7 W ANH ATTY AROS j la i yf | eSBs Se catmmal i Hy \\_\ FI. 16 plan shows a silo 16x16 feet inside and 18 feet deep. ‘The posts are round poles hewed straight on one side. [The posts are shown squared in the drawing.] ‘The bill of material includes lumber and shingles. 42 BILL OF MATERIAL. ‘ FEET. 56 Planks, 1 x 12 x 18 outside lining and corners . . . . 1,008 1 be ae Dix £2 16 Ensideninine 7 3 eae cae wen ke E792 BAS i 2x 4x 18 outside corners and between posts. 288 CR PTO X TS, DIAS pis: ou eee ean tana crea ene ZOW jet 2K MOI EO TAPERS’ lt PNG ta 5 i oh cape sttips rool sheeting 9.9%.) e000 it pes alah cans Sele arcane cane ee 3,738 Siinoles; 5 squares: 4002 05 Tle PC e See ce a ena oa 16 Posts 21 feet long, 6 inches in diameter at upper end, sur- faced one side, corner and door posts surfaced two sides. I5 pounds 4o-penny Nails. 20 pounds 20-penny Nails. 50 pounds 1o-penny Nails. 50 pounds 8-penny Nails. 12 pounds 4-penny Nails. The Silo. 43 SPECIFICATIONS. Silo 16 feet square inside, 18 feet from ground to lower side of plates. Raise the ground floor of the silo six inches higher than the surrounding ground by filling in, or a ditch may be dug around the silo after it is built. If round posts are used for posts, surface and line two adja- cent sides of six posts for the corners and each side of the door, and one side of the remaining ten posts. Lay off on the ground and dig holes for the posts, making them some larger than the butt ends, so that the posts may. be lined on the inner surfaced sides. Set up all the posts so that the faces on each side of the silo are in line, and form a square 16° 2“ inside of silo; plumb and stay lath, taking pains to see that the posts on each side are in line bottom and top. Set posts on sides of door to leave space between,of three feet, and see that the sides that form the door jambs are plumb and parallel. Saw off upper ends of posts level, put on lower plank of plate and spike well to each post; lay on upper plank, spike corners firmly and over each post. Put on lower outside lining plank, ends extend out on corner posts on two sides to make corners solid, as shown in detail of corner in Figure 17, and put up 2x4 pieces between posts. These pieces are put in to keep plank from warping when silo is empty. Spike two four-inch pieces on surfaced side of posts on sides of door, inner edge flush with inner surfaced side of posts. Sheet up with outside lining plank, cutting out 2d-3, 5-6, 8-9, II-12, 14-15, 17-18 planks from bottom, even with center of edge of 2x4‘ forming door jambs. See that the pieces are cut ex- actly the same length, and that the openings left are same width, and that the pieces will just fit in loosely. Cover plank with tarred paper, edges lapping two inches, put on inner lining plank, ripping plank for bottom, so that ‘the outer and inner linings will break joints. Inner lining plank butt together in corners. Cut off all the inner lining plank over holes left for doors two inches longer on each side, so as to make a lap joint when the pieces are putin. ‘These pieces should all be of the same length, so they will fit any part of the opening. 44 The Silo Saw up 1x12" plank, pieces 20” long, ends beveled to fit, and nail in the corners as shown at 4, Figure 16; cover with pa- per, extend out on wall two inches, then cut more plank to fit outside of first, breaking joints as with the siding. Fill in floor with earth at least three inches upon plank lin- ing{before filling with forage, and when silo is emptied rake dirt back from plank until ready to fill again. CAPACITY OF THE SILO. The first plan given shows a double silo, to illustrate the method of building two or more silos attached together. A single silo may be constructed on the plan shown, or a silo may be fitted up in a barn or other building. The size of the silo may vary to suit the requirements of the farm or herd, but we would rather have two medium sized silos than one quite large one. If large—twenty feet or more in length or width—a heavy frame will be required, as no ties can be put crosswise inside to support the walls. A rod or beam through the mass of silage will make an open air space as the forage set- tles, and cause the silage around it to rot. With the horizontal frame work shown in the first plan, the silo may be any depth de- sired without requiring heavier material to sustain the pressure, and as a deep silo will have greater capacity in proportion to in- side measure than a shallow silo, owing to the greater compres- sion of the contents, we would prefer to have the silo deep rather than have it long or wide, In feeding out the silage we prefer to take off the entire cov- ering and remove a layer of the silage from the entire surface each day. With a very large silo this would not be practicable, unless a large herd of cattle is fed. The weight of a cubic foot of silage in the silo will vary with the depth of the mass and with the condition of the forage when putin. If the crop is harvested when nearly matured, or if the forage is allowed to wilt in the field after cutting, before it is ensi- laged, it will not be so heavy as it would put in green and succu- lent. In silos twenty feet deep our silage, put up as recommended, weighs from 35 to 40 pounds to the cubic foot, and a cubic foot makes a little more than a day’s ration, with grain, for a cow or 1000-pound steer. Silage as a Feed-Stuff. A5 In the Northern States a cubic foot of silage is generally esti- mated at 50 pounds, and this also represents nearly the amount required to feed a cow in milk, or full grown steer, for one day. In building a silo, therefore, the capacity in cubic feet, after deducting two feet from the upper surface for settling, will fairly represent the number of days’ feed the silo will hold. This sup- poses the silo to be filled until settling ceases at the time the crop is harvested. From the estimates given, one of the silos shown in the first plan will hold 5,832 days’ feed for one cow or steer, or 116 days’ feed for 50 steers. ¢ CHAPTER VII. SILAGE AS A FEED-STUFF. acai singe attention has been given to the question of KA stock feeding, both in Europe and in this country, and many experiments have been made to determine the food values of many of our farm and mill products. The individual variation in any class of animals, even under similar conditions, renders it impossible to formulate exact rules for feeding, and when we have to consider feeding different kinds of animals, and feeding for different purposes, the question be- comes still more complicated. A sufficient number of experiments, however, have been made to give us some light on the subject, and to enable us to lay down a few general rules which, although not exact, perhaps, for any one animal, are near enough correct to guide us in the prepara- tion of food rations for our stock. Without going into a detailed account of the principles of feeding, we will simply state that the food ration should contain some definite amount of certain mate- rials, and these materials should be in certain proportions to give the best results in feeding. 46 Silage as a Feed-Stuff. The digestibility and chemical composition of the materials used will largely determine in what proportions they should be combined. By digestibility is meant that part of the food which, when taken into the stomach of an animal, will be absorbed into the system, and not simply passed through and excreted as solid dung. The digestibility of different teed-stuffs varies as a whole, and in certain elements found in nearly every material used for food. In the analysis of any food the chemist finds a certain propor- tion of what he calls albuminoids, fats and sugar, starch, and crude fibre, and the first such part of the food as contains nitrogen. The experiments in cattle feeding indicate that the best re- sults are obtained when the digestible albuminoid part of the food bears some definite relation to the digestible carbo-hydrates, in- cluding the fats, and from this the quantity of each kind of food to be mixed together to form the daily ration is estimated in mak- ing up food tables. As stated, owing to the variation in animals, and to the dif- ferent purposes for which they are fed, and to the fact that the amount the animal will digest is not always the same, the exact proportion of the two cannot be given, buta sufficiently close estimate may be made to be of great assistance. It has been found that the ration should contain one part of digestible albuminoids to from four to six parts of digestible carbo- hydrates, including fats estimated as carbo-hydrates.* If we examine the composition of some of our common feed stuffs and estimate the digestibility as determined in actual feed- ing tests, we find, as a rule, the proportion is wider, or narrower, than the one given, and that to secure the proper proportions, we will have to prepare a compound containing two or more mate- rials. We present a table showing» the composition of the digestible part of several foods. *The digestible fats in a food are estimated to be worth two and a half times as much as the carbo-hydrates, and in the following table the amount of fats in the food given is multiplied by two and ore-half andthe sum added to the carbo-hydrates in making the calculation. Silage as a Feed- Stuff. 47 One Hundred Pounds of the following materials contain on an average of digestible elements : =o : D é (= . 2 4 Sin 5 & oa Ee, 2 FEED STUFFS. =e aS | > Es foNone = eae) Xen te 2a, ne = < oO Zz Conn silage: seas ne. sees 2.17 21.83 I to 10.0 Common phair: icjotee es - ee: Bue 43 35 tak Lonnso Clover’ Walyitc o wesysiecuite sce: 7.53 43-60 oy 7 (QE CINK Madiae onda opto nc boodee 1.45 43.31 I to 30.0 (COST e BRD OD Dene CACC 8.37 76 43 mW {GC Watson cetees apauencieinicis Olvretaes ats 9 90 58.16 LG) HS) \WIREENE LENG So phd dc sen Bomon D5 6 5255 TWO) 2156 Cotton seed (estimated)...... 13.79 66.9 Ito 4.8 PEINSCEOMMEAD y's: io (oc x eeesiy « 28.12 Ba 20 r to ie Cotton’ secd meal......2..... 35:75 53.06 Omelet: The German feeding experiments indicate that a fattening ox weighing 1000 pounds should havea daily ration of 2% to 3 pounds of digestible albuminoids and 12 to 16 pounds of digestible carbohydrates. The table shows that a steer would have to eat more than 100 pounds of silage daily to get the requisite amount of albumoids, and in doing this he would eat more than is required of carbo-hy- drates. We notice the same difficulty with common hay, and the oat straw is still farther out of the way. Clover hay contains about the right proportion of the two in- gredients, but the steer would have to eat 33% pounds per day to get 2.52 albuminoids and 14.5 pounds of carbo-hydrates, a greater quantity than he can dispose of. Eating 20 pounds of corn per day of which the ratio is 1 to g, the animal would get the proper amount of the latter ingre- dient but not enough of the former. Twenty-five pounds of oats per day, with a ratio of 1 to 5.9 would supply 2.42 pounds ofalbuminoids and 14.54 pounds of car- bohydrates, about the right proportion. The same amount of wheat bran would also make a properly compounded ration, and the same is true of cotton seed, Cotton seed meal has a very narrow ratio,1 to 1.4; 25 pounds would be required to supply 12.1 pound. of carbohydrates but this would give nearly 9 pounds of albuminoids, three times as much asis needed. I,inseed meal has also a narrow ratio. 48 Silage as a Feed-Stuff. From the table we see that corn is not the proper grain to feed with oat straw, silage or hay, as they all have too wide ratios; oats are better and cotton seed and wheat bran still better, but cotton seed meal and linseed meal give us the best propor- tioned foods to mix with silage and other foods having a wide nutritive ratio. To illustrate the manner of using the table we present several combinations of feed-stuffs prepared from analyses made by the experiment station chemists, and as the rations given have been tested in feeding, we are confident they will prove satis- factory. Compounding Food Rations. Carbo-hydrates V ARIETY. Albuminoids. and fats. Nutritive Pounds. Pounds. ratio. Noz i 25 pounds corn silage........ 54 5-45 ee) ae cottonseed fs 15.2 2.07 10.00 INGiiles Gas dened sao steeds 2 61 15.45 E/to 5.9 NG 3314 pounds corn silage...... 72 7.27 ae cotton seed meal. 2.14 3.18 ARNE Es ogee iis Baca 2.86 10.45 1 to 3.6 Nowe 20 pounds silage....... Ee. -43 4.36 fe clover or cow pea vine hay..... SAS aoe a7 2.18 5 pounds corn meal......... -41 3 82 10 . wheat bran...... Tans 5 25 ARC VEM s Aes b waa SoG BOI 2.36 15-61 1 to 6.6 Nawa— PON POUMS! MAY ees 2 ~ = A’ =TS) manger Supports, 96 54 ‘‘ 2”x12”’x12’, manger front and bottom . 1,296 i cane 1’x12”x12’, manger back and batten . 432 2 pes 1X 6 x12, sidine : 480 20°, . ST -xP2 216. to board eqite a 480 ia) 2 x Aen. LOGe eatreny (es ste koe) 156 aan 1”’x12"x18', roof plank . : 4,050 iy 1’x 6’x18', roof plank battens . 2,025 Total . 11,435 FLOOR. FEET. 400 pieces 2”x6"x12’, flooring. . : 4,800 24 ‘' 2xa"x18', to support Abide sale : 288 9 ‘ 2’x6’x12%4’, center supports of floor . 108 Total. . 5,196 SPECIFICATIONS OF FEEDING SHED. Twenty-seven by 108 feet, for feeding from 80 to 110 head of dehorned steers. Figure 13 shows cross section of building, posts, ends of purlin plates (ff), battens (44), 2”x4” stuff to stiffen roof plank and keep them from warping, ends of mangers (vz mz), braces to support purlins (@ a), ends of siding. Cattle Feeding. , +3. JD 56 Cattle Feeding. FoI, Figure 14—View from side, showing posts, and braces from posts to plates, purlin plates (~ f), back of manger (7); also sec- tion of roof plank. Sy) Cattle Feeding. Feg, Us ys AS, AN NENA s ERS INES A AA mil: SHIT: " \ * 58 Cattle Feeding. We present a plan of a boiler (Fig. 18) we have used for sev- eral years with good results. It is simply a wooden box two feet wide, two feet deep, and fifteen feet long, with galvanized sheet-iron bottom nailed on, set on a brick wall. When fuel is somewhat expensive it is well to put in grate bars under the fire, and make the fire-box not more than three feet long, and sixteen to twenty inches from grate to bottom of the boiler. When wood is no object make the fire-box five feet long, and allow two to two and a half feet from bottom of fire-box to boiler, and use wood four feet long. The wallaround the fire-box should be eight inches thick, but a twelve inch wall will last Cattle Leeding Shed. 59 longer, and it should have a foundation carried down six inches below the bottom of the fire-box. The back wall of the fire-box (Fig. 19) should be four inches lower than the side walls, and the space back of this filled level with dirt to carry the heat close to the bottom of the boiler. The short inside cross wall near the rear of the boiler founda- tion (Fig. 19) is putin to support the pipe, or stack, and to check the heat from passing out too rapidly. Back of the fire-box a four-inch wall is all that is required. Figure 18 shows boiler and brick-work complete, and Figure 19 the brick-work. The irregular line along the side of the wal represents the surface of the ground. BILL oF MATERIAL FOR COTTON SEED BOILER. 2 plank 2”x24"x16 feet. 2 plank 2”x24"x2 feet. 4 iron bolts %4"x29”. 1 piece galvanized sheet-iron (No. 17 guage), 28’x15x4”. 4 pounds 14” wire nails. 750 brick. 2 bushels of lime. CHAPTER IX. CATTLE FEEDING SHED. Le stockmen generally know that cattle will not gain 0G weight if exposed during the cold, wet weather, the opinion is common that shelter is impracticable. In fact it has been found that range steers will not always thrive when tied up and closely confined. ‘heir legs stiffen and swell up ; they will not always eat, and as turning out and tying up again each day is entirely out of the question there is reason for the common opinion. We assume that economical feeding must include shel- ter, and that the solution of the problem, how to make sheltering practicable, is essential to an improved and profitable method of feeding.’’* *Texas Expt. Station Bulletin, page 5. 60 Cattle Feeding Shed. It has been held that shelter for cattle is unnecessary in the warm climate of the Southern States, but it is probable that cattle shrink more when exposed to the cold and protracted rain storms in the South than they do when exposed to the severe but dry cold weather in the Northern States. Our own experience leads us to believe that shelter is one of the essentials in economical cattle feeding even in the Gulf States. ! We submit plan of a cattle-feeding shed suitable for the Southern States, or for a colder climate if boxed in, designed to hold the largest number of cattle, with a minimum of space, and material required in the building. In feeding in such a building the cattle must be dehorned or the weaker ones will not do well, and not so many cattle will stand quietly together and feed. The shed is designed for the Southern States, and is there- fore not boarded up on the sides, but even here it is well to board up the north side and end to protect from cold winds and driving rains. FEEDING SHED. The plan (Fig. 13) shows cross section of the building, and Figure 14 shows two bents from the side. The shed is twenty- seven feet wide, and the roof is supported on three rows of 4x4 posts, set in the ground, and twelve feet apart from center to center. ; Poles from the woods may be used for posts, but we have in- cluded the posts in the bill of lumber. Figure 15 shows ends of roof planks, with grooves in upper surface of wide plank (a), and on lower side of battens (4 4) to prevent water from working under; planks (a a) 1”x12”x18’, planks (6 6) 1"x6"x18’. CONSTRUCTION. Center posts 4"x4"x18', set 3 feet in the ground ; 15 feet from ground to ridge pole ; posts on sides 4“x4“xg', set 2 feet 4 inches in the ground. Plate and ridge pole pieces butt together on posts, as shown in plan, and are spiked with 20-penny nails; all extend 2 feet - - see Cattle Feeding Shed. 61 beyond posts at ends of shed ; all braces cut with beveled ends to fit, and nailed with 12-penny nails. Purlin plate (f) is let in 1 inch on 3‘x4“ supporting braces (a, Fig. 73), and piece of 1“x6‘, 2 feet long, nailed on upper side of purlin joints to hold plates from drawing apart. A, Figure 15—1“x12" roof boards to have groove 3% of an inch deep and 1 inch from edge on each side on upper surface, and some with battens (4, Azg. 15) on under surface, as shown in Figure 15. Roof boards to be nailed to plates, purlins, 2“x4"“ batten (6 6 Fig. 73) and ridge plate, three.8-penny nails in each, and battens with 1o-penny nails, two nails in each. Any split or badly checked roof plank should be rejected. MANGERS. Front and bottom of 2“x12“ plank, back of 1x12" plank, a 2x4" piece to be placed at the center of each bent, extending from ground to plate (Fig. 14 shows this piece cut off at bottom of manger), and let in and nailed to back side of manger battens, to which manger back and siding are nailed. The 3x4" posts supporting the manger to be set 1 foot in ‘the ground. Short posts at back side of manger, between posts of shed ; cross-pieces of 2x4‘ under manger, spiked to posts, to which bottom of manger is nailed, upper edge of front of manger 2 feet 3 inches above floor. FLOOR. If the shed stands on sandy land no floor will be required, and it may be dispensed with on any dry soil if a little dry bed- ding is used. When the ground is flat and wet it may be best to put in the floor. The floor is made of 2“x6“x12‘ stuff, laid crosswise of the shed, ends meeting at the center under the ridge pole. The oppo- site ends will just reach under the mangers. Before laying the floor the ground is to be made smooth, with a moderate slope from center to side of shed, and two runs of 2“x4“x18' stuff laid flush with the ground, lengthwise of the shed each side of the center posts, one run just inside of the manger, the other half way from manger to center posts. One run of 62 Cattle Feeding Shed. 2“x6"x12' stuff to be laid in the same way on the line of, and be- tween the center posts. The flooring is laid on the pieces bedded in the ground, ends meeting on the 2x6" pieces at the center and spiked to all the pieces. A 34-inch space to be left between the floor plank to catch and hold litter and prevent the cattle from slipping. Flooring plank should rest on the ground ; the strips underneath are used simply to hold plank in place, Gates may be hung at the ends of the shed, to shut the cattle in or out. The gates should be wide enough to allow the passage of team and wagon to haul in feed and haul out manure. The feed may be put in from the outside by leaving off one of the siding plank above the manger. The manger is designed for silage and chopped feed, but it may also be used for hay. If hay is to be fed with silage it will be well to construct a rack over the manger, from which the hay may be pulled by the cattle. With a small herd of cattle—less than fifty head—and espec- ially in a dairy herd, it is desirable to have the silo and place for storing feed attached to the shed that shelters the cattle, to save labor in feeding, but in feeding a large number of steers not much is gained from having the storage and shelter buildings all com- bined, and the certainty of total loss if one catches on fire makes it a hazardous risk. The buildings should not be far apart, and they should be so arranged that the feed may be easily loaded on to a wagon, or cart, and the load hauled close to the mangers and the feed shoveled or pitched in. The cattle will fatten faster if confined to small lots near the feeding shed, and they should be shut inside the shed during bad spells of weather. Nothing will be gained by allowing the cattle to run over the pastures during winter, while feeding. The little grass they get will take away their relish for dry feed, and really do more harm than good. ‘The fattening season should be made as short as possible, and to secure this the cattle should be in- duced to eat as much as they will. Changing from one lot to another, turning in a new lot of steers—anything that excites or Cattle Feeding Shed, 63 disturbs the cattle, tends to check consumption of food, and with it gain in weight. Much more might be written with reference to the selection and preparation of feed stuffs for cattle, and we would like to dwell on the importance of skill and care in the management of the work in feeding. Constant study of the requirements of the animal is necessary to secure the best results. Index to Contents. 65 Les) Ee aX PAGE. Albuminoids . 46 Analysis of Silage . 22,24 Analysis of Silage Iorthern Ana Ganthean Nianenes of Corn. 23, 24 Bedding Land for Corn . : 17 Bedding Land—Single and Baeble’ eee : 17 Carbo-Hydrates . 46 Cattle Dehorning . 50 Cattle Feeding—Close Gonnee ment : 62 Cattle Feeding, Study of . 45 Cattle Feeding, on Cotton Seed Full aad Meal . 52 Cattle Feeding—Suggestions to Stock Feeders . 49 Cattle, How to Feed . 50 Cattle, Quiet Handling . 49 Glod Crusher .< |. 18 Cooking Food for Gate: Poche 52 Corn, Amount of Food from an iene 20 Corn, Amount of Sugar in. : 22 Corn, Best Variety for Silage Al fort sey Bares : 21 Corn, B. & W. q 21 Corn, Certainty a Crop. : 19, 20 Corn, Composition of Different Waricuics . 3 QO ar Corn, Cutting When in Tassel . 26 Corn, Distance Between Stalks. . 16 Corn, Double and Single Beds . 12 17 Corn, Dry Matter in. 22) omar Com, Harly.Plantine:.”..2. 18 Corn, Effect on of Rich and Poo: Sail. 15 Corn, Flat Culture and Bedding Land . 16 Corn, for Dry Forage . : aT Corn, Growing for Both Grais aad Borage : 15 Corn, Habits of Growth in Different Latitudes . 1550/22 Corn, How to Grow. . . 15 Corn, Howto Plant. . 66 Index to Contents. Corn, Injury from peep Cultivation . Corn, in Kansas . Corn, Large vs. Small vWaneues : Corn, Not a Complete Food. . . Corn, Quality Affected by Method de (Clawinee Corn, Replanting . auth Corn, Root Development . Corn, Sweet Varieties for Silage . Corn, Thick Planting . é Corn, Varieties, Northern vs. Gouthers : Corn vs Cotton Seed as a Feed Stuff . Corn vs. Sorghum Silage . Cotton Seed, Boiler . : Cotton Seed, How to Gack Cotton Seed Hulls . Cotton Seed Meal . J Cotton Seed Meal, Gemeesiion a ; Cotton Seed Meal for Feeding . Cotton Seed, Raw vs. Cooked . ‘ Cotton Seed vs. Corn as a Feed Stuff . Compounding Feed Rations . : Cow Peas, When to Harvest for Silage : Crops Best to Grow for Silage . Crops for Silage Put up Whole . Covering for Silage in the Silo. Cultivation, Deep and Shallow . Cultivation of Crops for Silage . Dry Forage, Difficulty in Guaaee Dry Forage, Loss in Feeding . Dry Forage vs. i Doura . Dehorning Gale. , Definition of the words ‘‘Silo,’’ ‘‘Silage’’ and ‘‘Ensilage.”’ Decomposition of Silage . ? Early vs. Late Harvesting Horage : Ensilage Crops, Vield per Acre . Ensilage, French System . Experiments, Corn Growing in Wisestsie é Experiments, Corn Growing in New York . Experiments, Corn Growing in Pennsylvania . Experiments, German Feeding Cattle . BY, 57) 53> Index to Contents. a ee in iabebarine Cattle,» Feed Cutters, Best Kind . Feed Cutters, Carrier for . Feed Cutters, Capacity of . Feed Cutters, Care in Running Feed Cutters, Setting Up Feeding Barn, Material for . Feeding Barn, Plans and Se tentions. : Feed Stuffs, Amount Corfsumed per Day Feed Stuffs, Composition of . Feed Stuffs, Cooking . Feed Stuffs, Digestibility a Feed Stuffs, Palateableness of . : Feed Stuffs, Succulent Condition a Feed Stuffs, the Best to Use . Floor for Cattle Feeding Shed Floor for Silo . Food, Chopping, Grinding and Cooking . Food, Cooking for Stock . Food, Preparation of . Forage Crops, Yield of . German Feeding Experiments . Goffart’s Method of Filling the Silo . Harvesting Silage Crop . ¥ Harvesting Silage Crop, cost ae P Harvesting Silage Crop, Labor Reduied , ; Harvesting Silage Crop, Method of Cutting in Field). of TSO9 . 46, re 13, 14, VIG} 223 Harvesting Silage Crop, Necessity for Good Management. Harvesting Silage Crop, Time Required to Fill Silo . Hay, Quantity Consumed when Fed with Silage . History of System of Silage . Implements, Corn Knife . ; Implements, Home Made Clod Seetes , Implements, Rack for Handling Forage . Inplements, Smoothing Harrow . Implements, Wagon for Ses Borer : Kathir Com...“ .,.: : Length of Cut of Baiauel ie Listing Corn Land . Miles, Dr. M., on Filling Rate Ae) Ree et) Nutritive pee oh eee Heme Ti 47 23 46 68 Index to Contents. Palatability of Food . . ; at a4 Palatability, Effect on lige ne : Palatability, Increasing Consumption. . Palatability of Dry Forage . Palatability of Silage . Rack for Hauling Silage. . Range Cattle Feeding. . Rations, Compounding . Replanting Como. nk Roof jor Cattle. Sheds: ..2. 0). ; Root Crops Compared with Siaee : Silage as an Appetizer Silage, Cattle Liking for Silage, Cause of Acidity . Silage, Cause of Decay, . Silage, Composition of _ . Silage, Covering for in Silo . . Silage Crop, Hauling to Cutter . - 49 50 Silage Crop, Implements for Harvesting . Silage Crop, Rack for Hauling . Silage Crop, Wagon for Hauling . Silage, Digestibility of . sites Silage Feeding, Effect on Cattle Silage Feeding, Out from Silo . . Silage from Partially cured Forage . Silage from Wet Forage . Silage from Uncut Forage . Silage, Length of Cut . Ceres Silage, Opinions of Practical Men wit Silage, Overestimation of . : Silage, Quantity Cattle Eat per Day. ate Silage, Sweet and Sour .. . Silage vs. Dry Forage . AAR OME? ¢ Silace, Weiphtioh. . «.. SPIGA Sie Silage, What Crops to Gat LOT gee Silo, Capacity of . Silo, Cheap Structure. . sais Silo, Filling Slow and Fast . . Silo, How to Build .. . Silo, Material Required . . Silo, Method of Filling jek oi. >) wae m*) et Oe Ane Siete eee 12, 28 7, 28 9, 10 Index to Contents. Silo, E Plan of. 7 5 Silo, Plastered Walls eats oe Silo, Pressure Against Walls . . Sa Silo, Tie Rods Across to Support Walls . Silo, When First Used .. . Silo, When First Used in Gals States. Silo, Wood vs. Brick or Stone Walls . . Sorghum, Certainty of Crop . Sorghum, for Dry Sections and Poor aed Sorghum, Non-Saccharine Varieties . . Sorghum, Sweet Varieties . Sorghum, Varieties to Plant . Sorghum vs. Corn Silage .. . ‘ Sorghum, When to Harvest for Silas! ath Succulent Food. . oa DULAL Lue On cme rat ie ‘ Sugar in Sore hii a aera le Table—Albuminoids, Carbo- Pydirdies al Oiktritive: ratio of different Feed Stuffs ae, «sty eee fe Table—Analysis of Corn Silage from Seen States Spel iake Table—Showing increase of Dry Matter in Corn from tas- selling stage to maturity Table—Weight of Corn Fodder, ne Matter, BS ear md Protein per acre in different Varieties of Corn in Wisconsin Wes. Teosinte . : Wild Cattle fecae RUAN nae io St Yield of Crop Grown for Silage . - 49, 50 . th 22) Balan 22 25 oe FOR =IOs> -* ea SS AS) 1) [hes | SMR ET Diamond vend Shed FOR LINING. Black Kvamand ookina FOR GOVERING. AN SENG “ COPYRIGHTED INODOROUS. ny FIRE-PROOF. WATER-PROOF. Put on by Anybody. DAMP-PROOF. is non-conductor of Heat. Send direct to Manufacturers for Samples, Prices and Catalogues. Eshret - Warren Nlapufacturing Go. No. 113 N. 8th Street, ST. LOUIS, MO. No. 16 W. Mo. Av., KANSAS CITY, MO. WG. bt. G. Kees & Go. Manufacturers of the ORIGINAL KALAMAAO0 2SPRING-YOONH HARROWS= % Sea ty SHS ¥ i A % \ 2 > oe Zool say AUol% I % [eS 0) ‘f 2 % | £ Y Ae oy Le SOSSSSS | ‘ e F \o One and Two Morse Cultivators # Broad-Cast Seeders. BUY ONL) eh AE 3 & — 0 eae --- Pir 4 4 peed Em el 1) || ee 71 el Py | 7 ¥ = | y 2ir | 3 FE - af ‘a be | 4 ty) fer for Cassar thy Bor Sone Rewer Ory Our No. to Riding Cultivator leads them all; as a Corn Cultivator it is a perfect success; works equally as well in Cotton. Send for Circulars. ee SS —< The illustration displays Bowsher’s combined feed grinding mill. This is a substantially built, practical machine, novel in many respects and radically different from all other feed mills now in the market. It is supplied with the elevator attachment or without, as ordered, and is built in two sizes which require from 6 to 12 horse power, the capacity being sufficient to meet the demands of large stock raisers and those who carry on a cus- tom milling business. They crush corn with the shuck or with- out, and grind every kind of small gain, oil cake, etc., also crush corn and grind small grain at the same time, mixing the two in any proportion desired; have self-feed for ear corn and all the other conveniences which go to make a first-class, modern feed mill. The particular distinguishing feature of the Bowsher mill, however, is its conical shaped grinders. This cone shape makes it possible tor the grinders to present a correct shearing edge to the grain at all times; a large amount of grinding surface is secured and the work is done close to the centre of the shaft, thus making an extraordinarily light running machine. Numerous practical, labor saving ‘devices are also adjuncts of this mill. Pamphlet containing full information will be promptly furnished on application to H. W. HUBBARD, CENERAL SOUTHWESTERN MANACER, Atlanta, CGa., or Dallas, Texas, eh me we a Sra SS Sa ~~ at Sta Se ee Sa ~, Nr oe ee eg PG — ca & oy. eS SpA ¢ ‘ r : i™%% a 4 : ‘ os i) : . ' , ’ 'd ’ . 8 eh . ‘¥..” ‘ howe? ahh A Vien: = i 4 eae x ~