Silo

si'lo, a water-tight, air-tight tank for the storage of green fodder. In America the ordinary silo is a circular structure from ten to thirty feet in diameter and from twenty to forty feet high. A silo may be constructed of any strong material, but strongly hooped wood is used usually. Clover, millet, green oats, alfalfa, or any green forage may be used. Green corn, cut or shredded, is a favorite ensilage. The more mature the kernels the better, but the fodder should be cut before the leaves begin to dry. A silo is filled from the top. Fermentation sets in but is arrested by its own heat before going too far. The advantage of a silo is that a substitute for green feed may be had all winter. The process of fermentation performs also a part of the work of digestion. Ensilage or silage is preeminently a food for dairy cattle. It promotes a flow of milk at a season when green food is otherwise out of the question. Skillful dairymen avoid feeding silage exclusively. A ration of silage added to one of hay forms the better combination. The purpose of the silo is to exclude air and water, and to prevent the action of bacteria. Ensilage may be described in the language of the housekeeper as canned forage. See Ensilage