IJJIIU ~
?r Section Has Always Been
' 0 Grazing Land? Coastal
t.-iets Com in? Ahead
Cattle *nd
spec
BT I. I CASE
sptriilist <" Heef
Sheep
V?te: This article was
*1 tin br m Cise for The S<a(?
thn of this newspaper.
* ' North Carolina prass grows
J 'on the nmint.vn slopes and
rattle have erased contentedly
section was .settled w?r<. beef
Here beef
['.w 5*""" c i general thing, are
^ sl^P;. as L grass and other
> to **" More each fall thous
^^.^drivon or shipped to feed
rf^JLnt and eastern parts of
jJrW p t^ Virginia and Tennessee
U ?r ltU\\ and then shipped
fiirt ar^ . . <?rY has been ln
are ? -
' jrW xhis has been ln
'Jti th at times by advocates of other
jftrfflins but in spilt' of these inter
it still stands out as the most
*. frpe pt farm in? in our rough
?yjn?us sections.
Tjjiii ber and quality of eattle in this
L jfteriO.it.M !o some extent in re
^ due to lo w prices and other fac
'Vi1f however, rlie marked price im
gLK'M ills '?''N1'1 about since last
Emulated tlw interest in restocking
Krf noses an.' improvement through
w ?? better bulls.
F?IIEK l.v l'lt:i)MO\T
t North Carolina beef cattle
,
Ifittlf ;rizin? on native reeds at the
thud Experiment Station Wenona,
*fton County i N. (\ Photo courtesy
Service.
Ite prevalent than in any other section
>S?? However, on many farms beef
have been bred or fed successfully
Ijjsr years as an adjunct to the raising
goo, tobacco and other cash crops,
[present time this practice is on the
und more cattle are being carried
purpose of consuming farm grown
Sicdfor the production of manure to
(su the soil fertility.
I one farm the keeping of a beef type
m every acre of cotton grown, has been
[practice for the past fifteen years. In
pdon to receiving a good income from
utile as a separate enterprise, this
ler states thbt his per acre yields of
i hare increased maerially as a result
t change from cotton alone.
(re, where sufficient pasture can be
economically, the keeping of cow
|ds and the fatetning of the calves at
i W to 14 months of age offers a de
Uble source of income. While on farms
1 the keeping (,t breeding herds does
Iseem :o Tit into the program satisfactor
ily purchase of feeder cattle from our
Dtiin breeding grounds and fattening
? for market may well be made a part
IT-he annual program. A recent survey in
witty in southern Georgia shows that
livestock have been introduced as a
the farm program that the farm
I? thy county are now producing as
? fofWn on 40.000 acres as they for
R' oroduced on 100,000 acres without
*00*
iv TIDEWATER sections
tne coastal plains and tidewater sec
ts Ij*1' Stlte beef ca^^e production
5 the greatest opportunities for expan
.-?e thousands upon thousands of
jn(l are at present not producing
? to pay taxes while on many cultl
, lrea' tons upon tons of low grade
not being utilized. In this part
State beef cattle offer great possi
tor increasing revenue when carried
mentir ^ extensiv? scale or as a sup
i.k . y enterprise. Expansion, never
pj.',v 0u'd ^ made gradually and
Kid fJ1 careful planning for year
E/ft. } provision should precede the
If that i app0intmt,nt maV result. It is
no* h>inrge numbf rs ?f native cattle
tiiimmp. 0n native Brasses during
f *ith rin on the beaches in the wln
Ns ii! provision for feed. Such
h Ml* r0dUfinS SOme pr0fit* re"
to* thi ?uequate gains and there is
' fceds ?rowln? of supplemen
l! the a S prove Profltable.
Nilton n .d ^Periment Station in
Clrryin., u native reeds are used
' * herd of cattle for about
Trench Silo Offers Inexpensive Means
Storing Green Feed For Dairy Herd
BT J. A. AREY, Extension Dairyman
???HIS TYPE OP SILO has grown in pop
| ularity In North Carolina very rapidly
during the past three years as shown
by the number dug. During 1932, the first
year this type of silo was used in the State,
41 were dug, in 1933 171 and in 1934, 372.
Present indications are that there will be
around 400 dug this summer.
The trench silo is an inexpensive type of
silo. It Is well adapted to the medium to
small size herd on which the initial cost
of the upright silo and the type of cutting
equipment required to fill it is rather heavy.
The labor cost on many of the trench silos
already dug has been around 50 cents per
ton. In many cases no actual cash was
paid for digging since it was done during
odd times by the regular farm labor. The
material needed for the roof of an average
size trench silo can usually be secured
on the farm at small cost.
The construction of the trench silo is
simple and can be accomplished with or
dinary farm labor. The only tools needed
consists of a plow, drag pan, shovel, pick
and a team of mules or tractor.
The equipment required for filling the
trench silo is less expensive than that re
quired in filling the vertlcle silo since a
small cutter without blower will do the work
satisfactory. Such a cutter with a capacity
of three to five tons per hour that can be
operated with a 5 H. P. gasoline engine,
now quoted at $75 to $100.
LOCATION
To give best results the trench silo shouM
be located convenient to the place where
the cattle are to be fed, and where gocd
drainage is possible. The most desirable
soil is a stiff clay free from rock. Wh3u
possible It Is best to locate the trench s'lo
on a slope or hillside, digging the trench
back into the hill. By giving the bottom
of the trench a slight slope towards the
lower end natural drainage can be secured.
When a hillside location is not available,
it is often possible to drain the trench
by means of a small tile leading to a ditch
or other lower elevation. Small stones should
be placed around the intake so as to prevent
silage from clogging the tile.
CAPACITY
The size of the trench silo should be
determined by the number of animals to be
fed and the length of the feeding period
The depth mutiplled by the average width
and that by the length will give the capa
city In cubic feet. For example; a trench
silo, six feet deep, seven feet wide at the
top and five at the bottom (averaging six
feet wide) and 70 long would equal 6x6x70
or 2520 cubic feet. The average weight of
a cubic foot of silage from a trench silo
Is about 35 pounds. In this case the total
weight would be 2520x35 or 88,200 pounds.
The number of cubic feet of silage needed
can be determined by multiplying the num
ber of cows to be fed by the number of
days in the feeding period, since the aver
age cow will consume a cubic foot of silage
each day. For example, to feed a medium
size herd of 24 cows 180 days would require
24x180 or 4320 cubic feet of silage.
The width and depth of the trench silo
should also be governed by the number
of cows to be fed dally. A slice of silage
three to five inches thick beginning at
the top and extending to the bottom of the
silo should be fed daily in order to pre
vent spoilage. When the area represented
by the width and depth is too large for
the number of cows to be fed daily, ex
cessive spoilage will take place. Capacity
should be secured by Increasing the length
of the silo rather than the width or depth.
Table 1 gives te size of the herd, the
suggested width, depth and length of the
silo based on feeding a cow one cubic
fcot of sllige daily for a period of 180 days.
Tabe 1 ? Suggested Dimensions for
Trench Silo
Length Based
No. of Width Width at on 180 Days
Cows At Top Bottom Depth Feeding
Feet Feet Feet Period Feet
6 6 4 5 43
8 6 4 5 58
10 7*5 5 60
12 7 5 6 60
14 7 5 6 70
16 8 6 6 ?9
18 8 6 7 66
20 9 7 7 64
24 10 8 7 69
constrution
After the location is determined measure
off the desired area and mark each corner
with a stake. Plow the land within the
nine months of the year. From two to three
acres are sufficient to graze a mature ani
mal for this length of time if the season
is normal. Calves running with their dams
with no supplementary feed will usually
weigh about 400 pounds at weaning time.
There are thousands upon thousands of
acres of this type of grazing that is not
now being utilized and it is thought that
eventually such areas will be more generally
utilized for cattle grazing. This type of feed
is too coarse for other types of livestock
such as sheep or dairy cattle but beef cattle
make admirable ust 9t it.
' ? , , ... ? /
joh */ a. /?<??y
measured area ana ' remove the loose dirt
with a drag pan. When the land on wh.ch
the silo is located is practically level the
ends of the trench should be gradually
sloped to the suface so that the team can
walk in and out without difficulty. It is
advisable to leave the slope in the end from
.which the silage is to be removed so that
the silage can be hauled out in a cart. The
other end should be dug out and given the
same slope as that of the side walls. The side
walls should be smoothed with pick and
shovel. Loose soil, such as sand, will cave
easily and when it is necessary to locate a silo
in such soil the walls should be reinforced
with concrete or lumbre. When lumber is
used it should be thoroughly dried before
erection. The plank should be placed in
an upright position and not leng'.hwise
with the trench and should be treated
with hot creosote. The side walls, regardless
of whether they be clay, concrete or plank,
should be smooth so that the silage will
pack tightly against them. If the walls are
rough air pockets will be formed which
will result in spoiled silage.
ROOF
A roof is not needed to preserve the silage,
but is needed to prevent the walls of unlined
trenches from crumbling due to weather
action when the silo is empty. The kind of
roof to build will depend upon the available
maerial. On farms where inch plank are
available an inexpensive roof of either gable
or shed type can be constructed out of
them.
FILLING THE SILO
Silage should be cut in 1-2-inch lengths
since it packs better than if cut longer.
The knives of the ensilage cutter should be
kept sharp and adjusted close to the shear
plate so that a clean cut will be secured.
The silage should be thoroughly packed
by persons, animals or a tractor while it
is being put in the silo. Special packing
should be done around the walls. To aid in
packing, and thereby improve the keeping
qualities of the silage, water should be added
to it continuously during the filling opera
tion. This can be done convenienly with a
hand sprinkler, or a water hose. If the
cutter used has a blower attached, the
water may be allowed to flow directly into
the blower.
Regardless of the method used to distri
bute the water it Is important to see that
the silage next to the walls is thoroughly
wet. Dry clay walls have a tendency to ab
sorb moisture from the silage.
When the silo is completely filled, cover
it three to four inches thick with a layer
of cut straw, chaff, or other similar mater
ials. Wet this material thoroughly and pack
It well, then cover with 10 to 15 inches of
soil. This should be wet and thoroughly
packed. Packing should be repeated as silage
settles so that all cracks and air pockets
may be eliminated.
REMOVE THE SILAGE
To remove silage from a trench silo begin
at the drainage end and first remove the
sovering each day from the part of the
silage to be fed that day. Beginning at the
top and going through to the bottom of
the silo a slice of silage not less than three
Inches thick should be removed from the
end each day to prevent spoilage.
Steep Raising Gams
In Ponularity Among
N. Carnfinn Fsmwrs
|f??lmfT .3n)bc Wo**' A^^tnct
balanced Svs^pm Of Fawin?
Is . Recommended Bv Specialist
Br L L CASE
Specialist, Stale College Station
The production of market lambs and *?Jl
as an adjunct to a well balancel system of
general farming has been and will no
doubt continue to be one of the best pay
ing branches of animal husbandry
North Carolina.
There is very little outlay necessary for
a small flock and the sale of wool alone
will often pay the cost of keeping the flock
the entire year. The reason for this ia
that sheep in small numbers will make
much of their living from waste products
of the farm. Another thing, a small flock
of sheep can be changed often from one
part of the farm to another which prac
tice helps materially in controlling parasites.
The advantage of small farm flocks in com
parison with larger ones cannot be over
emphasized. The writer has seen so many
instances of marked financial successes with
small flocks while the same farmers have
had difficulty when the size of the flocks
were increased.
MUTTON TYPE FAVORED
The medium-wool or mutton type of sheep
are the most practical in this State. The
Hampshire breed predominates although we
have a goodly number of Shropshires, Dor
sets and Southdowns.
The northwestern counties have our larg
Field Demonstration in selecting sheep for
Exhibition, Waco, N. C. This sheep is pur?
bred Hampshire, a good general purpose
breed.
est sheep populations, although the entire
mountain area is near ideal for sheep grow
ing on account of good drainage and clim
ate. Then too, many of the extremely
steep pastures are better adapted for grat
ing sheep than larger animals.
Piedmont and Eastern North Carolina
presents many favorable opportunities for
profitable sheep raising. In fact, some ot
our best flocks are found in these sections.
Here an abundance of winter grazing crops
can be provided, making It possible to
breed for early lambs which can be put
on the market ahead of the heavy run of
lambs from Kentucky, Tennessee and Vir
ginia, thus assuring a good price.
Marketing of lambs and wool is getting on
a better basis than heretofore. Where these
products are produced in sufficient quan
tities to justify, cooperative shipments and
sales are resulting in more money to tha
farmer.
Cotton Acreage Is Between
27,515,000 And 29,973JM
Cotton acreage may not be quite so large
as was expected earlier in the season, ac
cording to private estimates. At the tie*
ginning of the season both the U. S. De
partment of Agriculture and private esti
mators anticipated a big increase in acreage.
As the season progressed it became evident
that the plantings would not be up to ex
pectations because of wet weathei and
other factors that interfered with planMrg.
The acreage for the total United States
last year was 27,515,000 acres compared with
29,973,000 acres in 1933. At present private
estimates indicate the acreage -will be some
where between these two figures for the
coming season.
FARMLIGHT PLANTS
NEW 1935 STREAMLINE MODELS
110 VOLT A. C. (City Current) PLANTS
$110.00 UP
COMPLETE, READY TO RUN.
FREE Wiring and cost estimates furnished. ? FREE Literature.
310 Gallon Dayton Electric Automatic Water Systems Complete,
$35.00 UP.
CARRVER ELECTRIC CO.
ENGINEERS? CONTRACTORS
WOODSFIELD, ^ i OHIO
? ? ? ? ?