SILO Filling Without a Man in the Silo Gives Good Results

In the fall of 1926 and of 1927 the four silos at the dairy experiment farm of the Bureau of Dairy Industry at Beltsville, Md., were filled without tramping and without keeping a man in the silo. The cut corn was blown in at the top and allowed to fall where it would. Many of the cobs rolled down the conical mass of cut corn and collected in one place. As it was thought that enough air might be trapped around the cobs to allow spoiling to take place, it was considered advisable in 1926 to have a man enter the silo every hour or so and dig deeply enough into the side of the mass to give the cobs a new place to collect. This, however, was not done in 1927. During both years, when filling was almost finished it was necessary in every case to keep one or two men in the silo to level off the cut corn so that the silo could be completely filled. The silage kept in perfect condition both seasons.

It was noted that when silos are filled in this way the lighter portions of the corn plant collect at one side, whereas the heavier portions collect at the other side. Consequently, in feeding out the silage, to avoid getting a batch containing-a preponderance of either leaves or the heavier portions of the corn plant, a layer should be taken off the entire surface.  Although it is evident that neither tramping nor distributing is essential to proper preservation of the silage, it may be desirable in some cases to keep not more than one man in the silo for distributing the corn solely as a matter of convenience in feeding.