Montana farmer-stockman. [volume], May 15, 1954, Page 16, Image 16

About Montana farmer-stockman. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1947-1993

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
chop more tonnage
with less power...with a
McCORMICK
FIELD HARVESTER
20-C
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Stop in at your nearest dealer listed below and
he'll show you why you can harvest your forage
crops at up to 25 tons per hour with a McCormick
20-C Field Harvester. See the large, flywheel type
cutterhead that provides a steady cutting action
through the heaviest crops with a minimum of
power. He'll be glad to show you all the features
that enable the 20-C to harvest the heaviest crops
without plugging or slowing.
He'll olso show you how you con switch from row-crop to hoy pick-up
harvesting in minutes!
modern forage harvesting
the McCormick-way reduces
over-all costs — increases profit
THE EFFICIENCY, TIME and LABOR-SAVING
FEATURES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES! SEE
YOUR DEALER NOW!
AUGUSTA
Kenck Implement Co.
CASCADE
Mattson Lumber Co.
CHARLO
W & H Service
CHOTEAU
N & H Implement Co.
CONRAD
Dehler-Bernatz Co.
DENTON
Asbjornson Implement Co.
FAIRFIELD
Fairfield Implement Co.
FORT BENTON
Benton Equipment Co.
GREAT FALLS
Normont Equipment Co.
HAMILTON
Ravalli Supply Co.
HARLEM
Gjullin Implement Co.
HAVRE
Eaves & Walker Co.
HELENA
A-A Garage & Equipment Co.
KALISPELL
Manion's
LEWISTOWN
Bourke Motor & Implement Co.
MISSOULA
Westana Equipment Co.
PLAINS
B. B. Owen
RONAN
Stanley Scearce, Inc.
SIMMS
Brown's Implement
STANFORD
Judith Motor & Implement Co.
Shift Is to Silage
(Continued from page 1)
also are active,
, the temperature
As the forage settles and compacts,
air is forced out and oxygen is re
placed by carbon dioxide. Aerobic
activities cease. The rise in tempera
ture is checked. In this oxygen-free
atmosphere, lactic - acid - producing
bacteria take over. Warmed to a
suitable temperature (80 to 100 de
grees F.), with sufficient moisture
present (65 to 75 per cent or more)
and with sufficient sugar available in
the forage juices, these bacteria mul
tiply many "billion fold," producing
the lactic acid characteristic of good
silage.
Some acetic acid and small quan
tities of other acids are formed also.
If sufficient lactic acid is produced,
undesirable fermentation will be
largely prevented, and the silage will
be of good quality,
Silage Crops
aerobic bacteria
During this period
of the ensiled forage rises.
A large variety of grasses and
legumes can be made into silage. Al
though the nutritive value of the
dry matter in a crop will be highest
at the pasture stage, the yield of
dry matter will be lowest at the pas
ture stage and highest at a late bloom
stage. The yield of digestible protein
and total nutrients will be
highest at an intermediate stage. The
dry matter content of the forage will
range from as little as 15 per cent at
a pasture or early boot stage to as
much as 30 to 35 per cent at a bloom
Grasses will make the best silage
when cut at the boot or early head
stage, but per acre yields may be
low. Legumes make the best silage
when cut at an early bloom stage,
Mixtures of grasses and legumes
should be cut at the best stage for
the predominating species.
stage.
Silage Conditioners
Silage conditioners (or so-called
preservatives) are used for prevent
ing an undesirable butyric acid fer
mentation and a disagreeable smell
ing silage. As a rule they are used
only in tower silos when forages are
ensiled without wilting under the
following conditions; (1) When grass
or mixed grass—legume forage is cut
at a boot or early head stage, (2)
when alfalfa or clover is cut at any
stage, up to and including early
bloom, and ensiled alone.
Conditioners are not needed and
do not improve silage quality or
preservation appreciably in tower
silos (1) when wilted silage with 60
to 70 per cent of moisture is properly
made from any immature crop, (2)
when unwilted grass or grass-legume
combinations are in full head, (3)
when unwilted legumes are in half to
full bloom. They usually are not
needed in trench or stack silos that
Molasses improves the silage fer
mentation by providing readily
available sugar for growth of the
bacteria that produces lactic acid. It
makes silage slightly more palatable,
but it increases seepage losses. From
25 to 50 per cent or more of the nu
tritive value of the molasses may be
lost through fermentation and seep
Ground dry concentrates improve
the silage fermentation (1) by ab
sorbing excess moisture and thus,
lowering the average moisture con
tent, (2) by modifying the constituent
and energy content of the mixture,
and (3) by providing available food
for bacterial growth. Seepage is re
have been filled properly.
age.
duced or eliminated. Palatability is
greatly improved. From 20 to 25
per cent of the nutritive value of the
concentrates is lost in the fermenta
tion process,
purpose include ground corn, oats or
barley, corn and cob meal, dried beet
pulp and others,
Dried concentrates suitable for this
Sulfur dioxide gas (S02) is injected
into the forage at 2-foot intervals, or
closer, after storage in the silo or into
trailer loads before storage, at the
rate of 5 to 6 pounds per ton of
forage. It produces sulfurous acid
upon coming in. contact with crop
moisture. Plant respiration and bac
terial activity are reduced. The sil
age is preserved with a low fermen
tation rate and low acid content.
More of the carotene is preserved
than by other methods. It has no ef
fect on silage seepage.
It must be metered carefully into
the forage, since too large a quantity
(7 pounds or more per ton) will make
the silage less palatable. Care must
be taken in handling the gas to avoid
irritating the membranes of the eyes,
nose, throat, and lungs. When the
gas is injected into trailer loads, it
is necessary for a person to wear
goggles and a gas mask while work
ing in the silo,
Sodium xnetabisulfife (Na2S205),
now being used experimentally, ap
pears promising as a silage condi
tioner. Eight pounds of this chemi
cal contains the equivalent of 5
pounds of sulfur dioxide. It has the
same silage conditioning effect as
sulfur dioxide. It is a dry powder
and is shipped ip paper bags like
fertilizer. It can be handled with
out danger to the operator. Even
distribution is easily accomplished at
the blower or elevator by means of
a fertilizer drill attachment, oper
ated at a reduced speed by a small
electric motor.
Eight to 10 pounds may be applied
per ton of green crop. Larger quan
tities are apt to make the silage un
palatable. Even distribution through
out the forage is necessary to make
the treatment effective.
Where the forage is distributed and
tramped throughout silo filling, the
man in the silo should wear an air
filter mask as a precautionary
measure.
Trench and Stack Silage
Making trench or stack silage of
fers many opportunities for labor
saving in filling silos or feeding the
silage. Farmers having the usual
silage-making machinery may wish
to store the forage chopped. Farmers
who have only hay-making equip
ment can use such equipment and
store the forage long. Loading from
a windrow can be accomplished
without hard work by using a heavy
duty hay loader and a trailer fitted
with a conveyor bottom. The forage
can be handled from either the
windrow or swath by means of a
special buck rake,
stack silage is made will depend on
how satisfactory the silage proves to
be. The silage usually will be satis
factory when the farmer has man
aged well all along the line. The
principal requirements are:
drained site; hard surfaced bottom,
approaches, and roads which permit
silage removal or self feeding in all
kinds of weather; the use of "drive
over" methods of filling and com
pacting; thorough compaction
The extent to which trench and
A conveniently located, well