Show make beet top silage advice of specialist bv george stew art agronomist utah agriculture il experiment station utah has in beet tops a much neglected and much wasted aasted feed blade alade into silage the tops of beets have a high feeding alue and can be preserve for many weeks beeks the ordinary method of leading the tops topi on the land parti condred anith dirt causes heavy losses in feed constituents constituent pasturing the fields is also wasteful alte ful and soni somewhat ehat dangerous the tops soon oon begin to decad when partly coerced with nith moist soil oil or even een when khen left on surface decayed tops cause many man sick animal ano also in Pl picking cling up the tops top animals are sure to get some rome dirt which chich hns has been found dangerous to horses li ores especially especial es pecia to colts all this trouble and most of the los losses loses es in feeding value are a avoided aided bv making silage from the fresh beet tops farmers who kho plan to make beet top silage should prepare a pit ahead of beet digging A pit 3 to 5 feet deep and just a little wider than a can is made on well ell drained land in such soil as will kill not cave in for a few da s q both ends are sloped loped so that the epam earn and kagon can an go in at one on end and 1 I out at the other when the topping of the bets beels begins care is exercised to lime hae the tops thrown into small piles in such a nay q that them the can be gathered easily with nith forts forks at inte internals nals of a dav or two they are loaded on wagons with pitchforks and the dirt shalen shaken out is much as possible the wagon is brhen into the pit at ore end and the beet tops dumped on about a foot of straw when about a foot or fifteen inches of tops are scattered mer 01 er the bottom more straw is added and then another lacer of beet tops then the altern tte lasers laden of straw and tops are well el packed by driving oer them and walking along alone the cadges the air cannot penetrate freely and little spoilage results the straw absorbs the juice from the tops anil and keeps the mass from getting too vet net when ibe the pit is vi aall ell rounded above ground it is sealed as if it were a potato pit with ith straw and dirt or with beet put pulp P it is highly important to ime haic the tops fresh to free them from dirt to pick them well uell and to seat seal the pit thoroughly air causes rotting and such silage is dangerous when fed along with alfalfa hav good milage ilage is about as valuable able as alfalfa hay in proportion pio portion to its dr irl eight it can be cut out of the pit ith a hay knife anti and forked out in blocks after which it is fed as is silage it is true the tops are valuable for fertilizer when left on the land but there is nearly as much fertilizing alue in the manure and the feed obtained is clear gain for the labor |