Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-05-03
DAIRY COLUMN.
DAIRY COWS AND ENSILAGE.
Will Ensilage Alone Properly
Feed a Mich Cow?

An answer to the question above
must depend upon circumstances.
Ensilage differs very greatly and
consequently in its value and effects
as food. In some cases it may be
made from young, immature fodder
corn, or "sowed corn," or of rye cut
before blooming, and be very weak
imperfect food. On the other hand,
ensilage may be of well-matured
corn, ears fully formed, and all cut
up together, or of some mixture of
forage plants which will be still
stronger in nutritive properties.
Feeding materials, so different in
themselves, must of necessity pro-
duce different results. / believe
that even poor ensilage can be made
useful in dairying, if all dry food is
to be otherwise used. But if ensil-
age is to be depended upon for a
greater part of the feeding, it must
be a tirst-class article Twice, |
have tried feeding dairy cows ex-
clusively on ensilage and the results
are worth repeating.
The first trial was in 1882. An
average COW was taken from a milk
ing herd of fifty "natives." She was
five and half years old, and
weighed SAL pounds, and had given
about ten quarts of milk day, with
her last calf. She was dried up in
October and kept on hay alone till
calving, the silo not being ready to
open. The COW calved the first of
January and from that time she was
fed nothing but ensilage, for period
of sixty-fve days, This ensilage
was made from field corn, fairly ma
tured but cut to soon, just as the
ears were forming; it was watery
and sharply acid. After some days
trial it was found that she would
eat up clean, daily, sixty-four pounds
eff ensilage. So that was her regular
ration, given IN three feeds daily for
nine weeks. Her milk yield during
this period averaged thirtheen and a
half pounds day, or something over
six quarts. After the ffty-fifth day,
the yield decreased rapidly, so that
when nine weeks expired we decided
to add some grain For the next
thirty days she was given the same
quantity of ensilage, and in addition
daily, five pounds of grain, viz: 2
lbs. corn meal, 2 lbs. wheat bran and
ID. cotton-seed meal. The yield OF
milk averaged, this month, II lbs. 3
Oh. per day; the gain was ? qts. of
milk a day and the grain food cost
: cents day. CAT the same place 1t
would now cost but cents.) The
month of April having arrived, it
was desired to try change to dry
feed before the pasturage season, SO
the ensilage was gradually with
drawn, and in its place we used
twelve pounds cut corn stalks and five
pounds of hay, with the same grain
as in March. After this change had
been fully made, the record was
kept thirty days more, and the aver
age yield was Is lbs. of milk per
day. The ration of ensilage and
grain cost eleven cents, and the dry
forage which replaced 1t, fifteen
cents. The approach of spring may
have slightly favored an increase in
milk, but the COW was all the time in
warm basement stable where the
weather could not have had much
influence. Upon being turned out
to grass in May, her product never
reached 10 pounds day. During
this trial of four months or more,
this COW had no exercise, and her
drink. as well as her food, was
weighed and recorded. While fed
ensilage alone, she seldom drank
oftener than once in two days, and
averaged for sixty-fve days, 10
pounds of water daily. There were
46 pounds more in her daily food.)
The water consumed, increased TO
p pounds day whep the grain was
added, and to so pounds day after
the entire change to dry food.-Ef.