Modern silage methods

Front matter

Ck)pyiightN^.

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT.

MODERN SILAGE METHODS

Table Of Contents

PREFACE 3

INTRODUCTORY 7-10

CHAPTER L

Introduction

Twenty-five years ago few farmers knew what a silo was, and fewer still had ever seen a silo or fed silage to their stock. Today silos are as common as barn buildings In many farming districts in this country, and thousands of farmers would want to quit farming if they could not have silage to feed to their stock during the larger portion of the year. Twenty-five years ago it would have been necessary to begin a book describing the siloing system with definitions, what is meant by silos and silage; now all farmers who read agricultural papers or attend agricultural or dairy conventions are at least familiar with these words, even if they do not have a chance to become familiar with the appearance and properties of silage. They know that a SILO is an air-tight structure used for the preservation of green, coarse fodder in a succulent condition, and that SILAGE is the feed taken out of a silo.

We shall later see which crops are adapted for silage making, but want to state here at the outset that Indian corn is pre-eminently the American crop suited to be preserved in silos, and that this crop is siloed far more than all other kinds of crops put together. When the word silage is mentioned we, therefore, instinctively think of corn silage. We shall also follow this plan in the discussions in this book; when only silage is spoken of ' we mean silage made from the corn plant; if made from other crops the name of the crop is always given, as clover silage, peavine silage, etc.

8 INTRODUCTION.

History of the Silo. While the silo in one form or another dates back to antiquity, it was not until the latter part of the seventies that the building of silos intended for manufacture of silage began in this country. In 1882 the United States Department of Agriculture could find only ninety-one farmers in this country who used silos. During the last twenty-five years, however, silos have gradually become general in all sections of the country where dairying and stock-raising are important industries; it is likely, if a census were taken of the number of silos in this country today, that we would find between a half and three-fourths of a million of them. The silo is today considered a necessity on thousands of dairy farms, and we find most of them in the states that rank first as dairy states, viz.: New York, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, etc. The farmers that have had most experience with silage are the most enthusiastic advocates of the siloing system, and the testimony of intelligent dairymen all over the country is strongly in favor of the silo. Said a New York farmer recently in one of our main agricultural papers: "I would as soon try to farm without a barn as without a silo," and another wrote, "I wouldn't take a thousand dollars for my silo if I could not replace it." The well-known agricultural writer, Joseph E. Wing, says: "No stock feeder who grows corn can afford to ignore the silo." "Buff Jersey," an Illinois dairy farmer and writer on agricultural topics, declares his faith in silage as follows: "I am fully satisfied that silage is a better feed, and a cheaper one, than our pastures." Another writer says: "The silo to my mind presents so many advantages over the system of soiling that it is bound to eventually do away with the use of soiling crops." According to the Cornell Experiment Station, the "silo, especially to the dairy farmer, has become an almost necessary adjunct to the equipment of the farm."

Our first effort- in writing this book will be to present facts that will back up these statements, and show the reader the many advantages of the silo, over other

INTRODUCTION. 9

systems of growing and curing crops for the feeding of farm animals. We shall show that up-to-date dairy or stock farming is well nigh impossible without the aid of a silo. The silo enables us to feed live stock succulent feeds the year around, and preserves the fodder in a better condition and with less waste than any other system can. We shall see the why and wherefore of this in the following pages, and shall deal with the best way of making and feeding silage to farm animals. W^e wish to state at the outset that we do not propose to indulge in unwarranted statements or claims that will not stand the closest investigation. In the early days of the history of the silo movement it was thought necessary to make exaggerated claims, but this is no longer the case. Naked facts are sufficient to secure for the silo a permanent place among the necessary equipment of a modern dairy or stock farm. In discussing the silo we shall keep close to what has been found out at our experiment stations, and, we believe, shall be able to prove to any fair-minded reader that the silo is the greatest boon that has come to modern agriculture since the first reaper was manufactured, and that with competition and resulting low prices, it will be likely to become more of a necessity to our farmers in the future than it has been in the past. We aim to convince our readers that the most sensible thing they can do is to plan to build a silo at once if they do not now have one. It is unnecessary to argue with those who are already the happy possessors of a silo, for it is a general experience where a farmer has only provided for immediate wants in building his silo that he will build another as soon as he has had some experience with silage and finds out how his stock likes it, and how well they do on it.

Modern practice has proved that no man need say "I cannot afford a silo," because any farmer who is at all handy with hammer and saw can provide a silo large enough for a medium-sized dairy with very little actual outlay of money. And this same built-at-home silo will

10 INTRODUCTION.

earn for its owner money to build another, and enlarge his herd.

We shall give directions for building several kinds of such silos on the following pages. While they will not be apt to last as long, and therefore are not perhaps as economical in the long run as more substantially-built silos, still they do excellent service until some experience with making and feeding silage has been obtained, or until the farmer can afford to put up a more substantial structure.

We mention this fact here to show farmers who may be considering the matter of building a silo, or who may be inclined to think that the silo is an expensive luxury, only for rich farmers, that the cost of a silo need not debar them from the advantages of having one on their farm, and thus secure a uniform succulent feed for their stock through the whole winter. Farmers who have not as yet informed themselves in regard to the value of the Bilo and silage on dairy or stock farms, are respectfully asked to read carefully the following statements of the advantages of the silo system over other methods of preserving green forage for winter or summer feeding.

It has been said that "Whoever makes two blades of grass grow where but one grew before is a benefactor to mankind." A silo makes it possible to keep two cows where but one was kept before, and who would not gladly double his income? Does not this interest you?

Chapter I. Advantages Of The Silo

The silo enables us to preserve a larger quantity of tJie food materials of the original fodder for the feeding of farm animals than is possible by any other system of preservation now known. Pasture grass is the ideal feed for live stock, but it is not available more than a few months in the year. The same holds true with all soiling crops. or tame grasses as well. When made into hay the grasses and other green crops lose some of the food material contained therein, both on account of unavoidable losses of leaves and other tender parts, and on account of fermentations which take place while the plants are drying out or being cured.

In cases of Indian corn the losses from the latter source are considerable, owing to the coarse stalks of the plant and the large number of air-cells in the pith of these. Under the best of conditions cured fodder corn will lose at least ten per cent, of its food value when cured in shocks; such a low loss can only be obtained when the shocks are cared for under cover, or out in the field under ideal weather conditions. In ordinary farm practice the loss in nutritive value will approach twenty-five per cent., and will even exceed this figure unless special precautions are taken in handling the fodder, and it is not left exposed to all kinds of weather in shocks in the field through the whole winter. These figures may seem surprisingly large to many farmers who have left fodder out all winter long, and find the corn inside the shock bright and green, almost as it was when put up. But appearances are deceitful; if the shocks had been weighed as they were put up, and again in the late winter, another story would be told, and it would be found that the shocks only weighed anywhere from a third to a half as much as when they were cured and ready to be put in the barn late in the fall; if chemical analysis of the corn in the shocks were made late in the fall, and when taken down, it would be found that the decrease in weight was not caused by evaporation of water from the fodder, but by waste of food materials contained therein from fermentations, or actions of enzymes. (See Glossary.)

The correctness of the figures given above has been abundantly proved by careful experiments conducted at a number of different experiment stations, notably the Wisconsin, New Jersey, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Colorado experiment stations. A summary of the main work in this line is given in Prof. Woll's Book on Silage. In the Wisconsin experiments there was an average loss of 23.8 per cent, in the dry matter (see Glossary), and 24.3 per cent, of protein, during four different years, when over B6 tons of green fodder had been put up in shocks and carefully weighed and sampled at the beginning and end of the experiment. These shocks had been left out for different lengths of time, under varying conditions of weather, and made from different kinds of corn, so as to present a variety of conditions. The Colorado experiments are perhaps the most convincing as to the losses which unavoidably take place in the curing of Indian corn in shocks. The following account is taken from Prof. Cook's report of the experiments. As the conditions described in the investigation will apply to most places on our continent where Indian corn is cured for fodder, it will be well for farmers to carefully look into the results of the experiment.

"It is believed by most farmers that, in the dry climate of Colorado, fodder corn, where cut and shocked in good shape, cures without loss of feeding value, and that the loss of weight that occurs is merely due to the drying out of the water. A' test of this question was made

LOSSES IN DRY CURING.

in the fall of 1893, and the results obtained seemed to indicate that fully a third of the feeding value was lost in the curing. This result was so surprising that the figures were not published, fearing that some error had crept in, though we could not see where there was the possibility of a mistake.

"In the fall of 1894 the test was repeated on a larger scale. A lot of corn was carefully weighed and sampledl, [t was then divided into three portions; one was spread on the ground in a thin layer, the second part was set up in large shocks, containing about five hundred pounds of green fodder in each, while the rest was shocked in small bundles. After remaining thus for some months, until thoroughly cured, the portions were weighed,) sampled and analyzed separately. The table gives the losses that occurred in the curing.

Larg-e Shocks.

Small Shocks.

On the Ground.

Total Weight

Dry

Matter

Total Weight

Dry

Matter

Total Weight

Dry Matter

When Shocked

After Curing

Loss in Weight

Per Cent of Loss

Lbs.

952'

Lbs.

217 150

67 31

Lbs.

294 64

Lbs.

77 44 33 43

33 153

Lbs.

42 19

23 55

"So far as could be told by the eye, there had been no loss. The fodder had cured in nice shape, and the stalks on the Inside of the bundles retained their green color, with no sign of molding or heating. And yet the large shocks had lost 31 per cent, of their dry matter, or feeding value; the small shocks 43 per cent, and the corn spread on the ground 55 per cent.

"On breaking or cutting the stalks these losses were explained. The juice was acid, and there was a very strong acid odor, showing that an active fermentation was taking place in this seemingly dry fodder. We had noticed this strong odor the fall before and all through the winter. When the fodder corn for the steers is put through the feed cutter that same strong smell is present.

"It can be said, then, that the dryness of the climate in Colorado does not prevent fodder corn from losing a large part of its feeding value through fermentation. Indeed, the loss from this source is fully as great as In <;he damp climate in New England.

"As compared with the losses by fermentation in the silo, the cured fodder shows considerably the higher loss."

In experiments at the Wisconsin station eleven shocks cured under cover in the barn lost on an average over 8 per cent, of dry matter and toward 14 per cent, of protein. In an experiment at the Maine station over 14 per cent, of dry matter was lost in the process of slow drying of a large sample of fodder corn under the most favorable circumstances. "It is interesting to note that this loss falls almost entirely on the nitrogen-free extract, or carbohydrates (see Glossary), more than two-thirds of it being actually accounted for by the diminished percentage of sugars."

Since such losses will occur in fodder cured under cover with all possible care, it is evident that the average losses of dry matter in field-curing fodder corn, given in the preceding, by no means can be considered exaggerated. Exposure to rain and storm, abrasion of dry leaves and thin stalks, and other factors tend to diminish the nutritive value of the fodder, aside from the losses from fermentations, so that very often only one-half of the food materials originally present in the fodder is left by the time it is fed out. The remaining portion of the fodder has, furthermore, a lower digestibility and a lower feeding value than the fodder corn when put up, for the reason that the fermentations occurring during the curing process destroy the most valuable and easily digestible part, i e., the sugar and starch of the nitrogen-

THE SILOING PROCESS. 15

free extract, which are soluble, or readily rendered soluble, in the process of digestion.

2. Losses in the Siloing Process. As compared with the large losses in food materials in field-curing of Indian corn there are but comparatively small losses in the silo, caused by fermentation processes or decomposition of the living plant cells as they are dying off. The losses in this case have been repeatedly determined by experiment stations, and, among others, by those mentioned in the preceding. The average losses of dry matter in the fodder corn during the siloing period of four seasons (1887-'91) as determined by Prof. Wbll at the Wisconsin Experiment Station was about 16 per cent. The silos used in these trials, as in case of nearly all the early experiments on this point, were small and shallow, however, only 14 feet deep, were rectangular in form, and not always perfectly air-tight, a most important point in silo construction, as we shall see, and a portion of the silage therefore came out spoilt, thus increasing the losses of food materials in the siloing process. The losses reported were, therefore, too great, and there Is now an abundance of evidence at hand showing that the figures given are higher than those found in actual practice, and the necessary loss in the silo comes considerably below that found in the early experiments on this point. There are plenty of cases on record showing that ten per cent, represents thej maximum loss of dry matter in modern deep, well-built silos. The losses found in siloing corn at a number of experiment stations during the last ten years have come at or below this figure. It is possible to reduce the loss still farther by avoiding any spoilt silage on the surface, by beginning to feed immediately after the filling of the silo, and by feeding the silage out rather rapidly. Experiments conducted on a small scale by Prof. King in 1894 gave losses of only 2 and 3 per cent, of dry matter, on the strength of which results, amongst others, he believes that the necessary loss of dry matter in the Silo need not exceed 5 per cent.

Summarizing our considerations concerning the relative losses of food materials in the field-curing and siloing of Indian corn, we may, therefore, say that far from being less economical than the former, the silo is more so, under favorable conditions for botli systems, and that therefore a larger quantity of food materials is obtained by filling the corn crop into a silo than by any other method of preserving it known at the present time.

What has been said in the foregoing in regard to fodder corn applies equally well to other crops put into the silo. A few words will suffice in regard to two of these, clover and alfalfa. Only a few accurate siloing experiments have been conducted with clover, but enough has been done to show that the necessary losses in siloing this crop do not much, if any, exceed those of Indian corn. Lawes and Gilbert, of the Rothmasted Experiment Station, England, placed 264,318 pounds of first and second crop clover into one of these stone silos, and took out 194,470 pounds of good clover silage. Loss in weight, 24.9 per cent. This loss fell, however, largely on the water in the clover. The loss of dry matter amounted to only 5.1 per cent., very nearly the same amount of loss as that which the same experimenter found had taken place in a large rick of about forty tons of hay, after standing for two years. The loss of protein in the silo amounted to 8.2 per cent. In another silo 184,959 pounds of second-crop grass and second-crop clover were put in, and 170,941 pounds were taken out. Loss in gross weight, 7.6 per cent; loss of dry matter, 9.7 per cent.; of crude protein, 7.8 per cent.

In a siloing experiment with clover, conducted at the Wisconsin Station, on a smaller scale, Mr. F. G. Short obtained the following results: Clover put into the silo, 12,279 pounds; silage taken out, 9,283 pounds; loss, 24,4 per cent.; loss of dry matter, 15.4 per cent.; of protein, 12.7 per cent.

There is nothing in any of these figures to argu« against the siloing of green clover as an economical praf

THE SILOING PROCESS. 17

tice. On the other hand, we conclude that this method of preserving the clover crop is highly valuable, and, in most cases, to be preferred to making hay of the crop.

No extended investigation has been made as to the losses sustained in the siloing of alfalfa, but there can be little doubt but that they are considerably smaller than In making alfalfa hay, if proper precautions guarding against unnecessary losses in the silo are taken. According to the testimony of Professor Headden of the Colorado Experiment Station, the minimum loss from the falling off of leaves and stems in successful alfalfa hay making amounts to from 15 to 20 per cent., and in cases where the conditions have been unfavorable, to as much as 60 and even 66 per cent, of the hay crop. Aside from the losses sustained through abrasion, rain storms, when these occur, may reduce the value of the hay one-half. The losses from either of these sources are avoided in preserving the crop in the silo, and in their place a small loss through fermentation occurs, under ordinary favorable conditions, amounting to about 10 per cent, or less.

There is this further advantage to be considered when the question of relative losses in the silo and in hay-making or field-curing green forage, that hay or corn fodder, whether in shocks or in the field or stored under shelter, gets poorer and poorer the longer it is kept, as the processes of decomposition are going on all the time; in the silo, on the other hand, the loss in food substances is not appreciably larger six months after the silo was filled than it is one month after, because the air is shut out, so that the farmer who puts up a lot of fodder corn for silage in the fall can have as much and as valuable feed for his stock in the spring, or in fact, the following summer or fall, as he would have if he proceeded to feed out all the silage at once.

"Generally speaking, 3 tons of silage are equal in

feeding value to one ton of hay. On this basis a much

larger amount of digestible food can be secured from an

acre of silage corn than from an acre of hay. The food equivalent of 4 tons of hay per acre can easily be produced on an acre of land planted to corn." — (Plumb.)

3. Succulence. Succulent food is Nature's food. We all know the difference between a juicy, ripe apple and the green dried fruit. In the drying of fruit as well as of green fodder water is the main component taken away; with it, however, go certain flavoring matters that do not weigh much in the chemist's balance, but are of the greatest importance in rendering the food material palatable. It is these same flavoring substances which are washed out of the hay with heavy rains, and renders such hay of inferior value, often no better than so much Btraw, not because it does not contain nearly as much food substances, like protein, fat, starch, sugar, etc. (see Glossary), but because of the substances that render hay palatable having been largely removed by the rain.

The influence of well-preserved silage on the digestion and general health of animals is very beneficial, according to the unanimous testimony of good authorities, [t is a mild laxative, and acts in this way very similarly to green fodders. The good accounts reported of the prevention of milk fever by the feeding of silg-ge are explained by the laxative influence of the feed.

4. Uniformity. The silo furnishes a feed of uniform quality, and always near at hand, available at any time during the whole year or winter. No need of fighting thte elements, or wading through snow or mud to haul it from the field; once in the silo the hard work is over, and the farmer can rest easy as to the supply of succulent roughage for his stock during the winter. An ample supply of succulent feed is of advantage to all classes of animals, but perhaps particularly so in case of dairy cows and sheep, since these animals are especially sensitive to sudden changes in the feed. Also, stock raisers value Bilage highly on this account, for silage is of special value for feeding preparatory to turning cattle on to the watery pasture grass in the spring. The loss in the weight of cattle on being let out on pasture in spring, is often so

ECONOMY OF SILAGE. 19

great that it takes them a couple of weeks to get back where they were when turned out. When let out in the spring, steers will be apt to lose weight, no matter whether silage or dry feed has been fed, unless they are fed some grain during the first week or two after they are turned out. For more detailed information regarding the feeding of silage for beef production, see chapter 3, page 28.

5. Economy of Storage. Less room is required for the storage in a silo of the product from an acre of land than in cured condition in a barn. A ton of hay stored in the mow will fill a space of at least 400 cubic feet; a ton of silage, a space of about 50 cubic feet. Considering the dry matter contained in both feeds we have found that 8,000 pounds of silage contains about as much dry matter as 2,323 pounds of hay,, or 160 against 465 cubic feet, that is, it takes nearly three times as much room to store the same quantity of food materials in hay as in silage. In case of field-cured fodder corn, the comparison comes out still more in favor of the silo, on account of the greater difficulty in preserving the thick cornstalks from heating when placed under shelter. According to Professor Alvord, an acre of corn, field-cured, stored in the most compact manner possible, will occupy a space ten times as great as in the form of silage. While hay will contain about 86 per cent, of dry matter, cured fodder corn often does not contain more than 60 and sometimes only 50 per cent, of dry matter; the quantities of food material in fodder corn that can be stored in a given Bpace are, therefore, greatly smaller than in case of hay, and consequently, still smaller than in case of silage.

Since smaller barns may be built when silage is fed, there is less danger of fire, thus decreasing the cost of insurance.

6. No Danger of Rain. Hainy weather is a disadvantage in filling silos as in most other farm operations, but when the silo is once filled, the fodder is safe, and the farmer is independent of the weather throughout the season.

ADVANTAGES OF THE SILO.

If the corn has suffered from drought and heat during the fall months, it is quite essential to wet the corn either as it goes into the silo, or when this has all been filled, in order to secure a good quality of silage; and unless the corn is very green when it goes into the silo, th'e addition of water, or water on the corn from rain or dew, will do no harm. If the corn is too dry when put into the silo, the result will be dry mold, which is prevented by the addition of the water, which replaces that which has dried out previous to filling if this has been delayed.

A common practice among successful siloists is to fill the silo when the lower leaves of the standing corn have dried up about half way to the ears. Generally, the corn will be in about the proper condition at that time, and there will still be moisture enough left in the plants 60 that the silage will come out in first-class condition.

There must be moisture enough in the corn at time of filling the silo, so that the heating processes, which take place soon after, and which expel a considerable portion of the moisture, can take place, and still leave the corn moist after cooling, when the silage will remain in practically a uniform condition for several years if left undisturbed. But if, on account of over-ripeness, frosts, or excessive drought, the corn is drier than stated, it should be made quite wet as stated above, and there is little danger of getting it too wet. The writer has filled silo with husked corn fodder about Christmas, and as the fodder was thoroughly dried, a ^'4-inch pipe was connected with an overhead tank in the barn and arranged to discharge into the carrier of the cutter as the cutting took place, a No. 18 Ohio cutter being used for that purpose. Although the full stream was discharged, and with considerable force, on account of the elevation of the tank, and the cut fodder in the silo still further wet on top with a long hose attached to a wind force pump, it was found, on opening the silo a month later, that none too much water had been used; the fodder silage came out in good condition, was eaten greedily by the milch cows, and

ECONOMY OF SILAGE. 21

was much more valuable than if it had been fed dry from the field.

Where haymaking is precluded, as is sometimes the case with second-crop clover, rowen, etc., on account of rainy weather late in the season the silo will furthermore preserve the crop, so that the farmer may derive full benefit from it in feeding it to his stock. Frosted corn can also be preserved in the silo, and will come out a very fair quality of silage if well watered as referred to above.

7. No danger of Late Summer Droughts. By using the silo with clover or other green summer crops, early in the season, a valuable succulent feed will be at hand at a time when pasture in most regions is apt to give out; then again, the silo may be filled with corn when this is in the roasting-ear stage, and the land thus entirely cleared earlier than when the corn is left to mature and the corn fodder shocked on the land, making it possible to finish fall plowing sooner and to seed the land down to grass or winter grain,