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Show 1 DAIRYING THE SILO QUESTION. Please discuss the silo question in your paper. Wc can raise large crops of corn fodder (my neighbor says he has raised seven tons per acre). The corn docs not always mature. If it would be profitable I would like one to hold about twenty-five tons. Lumber Lum-ber is our cheapest material. If you can discuss this question from all points, that is, how to build, probable cost, profitableness, etc., it will be very much appreciated. D. H. Answer by Prof. T. E. Woodward. Corn silage is an excellent feed, especially es-pecially for dairy cows, but whether or not the silo is a profitable investment invest-ment in Utah is still an open question. ques-tion. It may come into use to a limited lim-ited extent for the preservation of alfalfa al-falfa as well as corn, but wc doubt whether it will ever come into general gen-eral use. It is not so essential in Utah as in the corn belt. We cannot grow as much corn to the acre and wc can grow more and' better hoy. Silage in a ration makes it palatable and laxative. Alfalfa hay supplies (both of these conditions, so silage docs not add a great deal to the c,fr, ficiency of -a. ration in Utah where alfalfa al-falfa is used so extensively. Silos arc usually built of wood or concrete. Concrete is more durable and substantial than wood, so unless w lumber is very cheap wc would advise buildiing of concrete, provided of course, that sand and gravel arc available. avail-able. With good two by four pine lumber at $16.00 per thousand a silo of ordinary size sixty to Qnc hundred hund-red tons would cost about '$1.50 per ton capacity. A sixty ton stave silo will cost about $100.00, a one hundred ton silo less than $150.00. Where band and gravel can be had for the hauling a concrete silo will cosr; about 25 pe cent to 50 per cent more than a sttttve silo. The smallest cutter which it is practicable to use will cost $100.00, Besides there will have to be some provision made for powers to run the cutter. This will require at least two-horse power. You can-readily see that it would not be profitable to build a silo to hold only twenty-five tons. This, ten cows for seven months when fed in connection with alfalfa hay. The first cost would be so great you would never get your money back. In general gen-eral wc would say that the silo is not worthy of a trial in Utah unless the silage is to be fed to dairy cows, unless the herd numbers at least thirty head, and unless it is possible to gFow eight tons or more of green corn to the acre. NOTE: To any one wishing to build a silo the Agricultural College will send upon request, bills of material, mater-ial, specifications, blue prints, and directions di-rections for building. - o |