Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1899-04-14


Last fall the Virginia agricultural
experiment station undertook to deter
mine the effect on horses Of ration
containing silage. Eight animals were
chosen-six mules and two horses.
Four of the animals were given nay,
corn and silage, the remainder hay and
corn alone. The experiment lasted
something over six weeks. In bulle-
tin giving the results of the test the
following statements are made:
"In certain portions of the state
where cultivated grasses make but an
Indifferent growth. hay substitutes are
eagerly sought, and the system OF
pulling fodder from corn Is in vogue.
This makes a good rough food for
horses, but is too costly to gather ana
the supply is often limited. Various
fodder plants have from time to timo
been tried, but not with complete sat-
isfaction; cow-peas being difficult to
gather and cure; crimson clover unsafe
as a horse food ION account Of the
rough avn or beard on the head. etc.;
and for these reasons corn silage has
been used to a limited extent. we
have had many inquiries as to its Mt
ness for such use, all concluding their
questions by stating that they had
used 1t with bad effect on their AMI
mails. While we could state that silage
was often used as horse food, and
while we had used limited quantity
In that manner, yet, as we wished 10
make accurate statement of facts, we
began feeding eight work animals (six
mules and two horses with silage, let
ting 1t to a certain extent take the
place Of corn. We used small amount
Of silage for these animals for some
weeks previous to the dates mentioned
in the table, the amount consumed the
first week it was weighed being more
than 1t might be wise to start with II
they were entirely unused to 1t. by
this we mean that for some days when
beginning to feed silage 1t Is OF the
utmost Importance to feed a very small
| amount at first, and increase grad
ually, as the animal appetite and con-
dition of bowels may indicate. We are
inclined to think that the whole trouble
Of the parties making inquiries came
from feeding too freely at first, or pos
sibly, too, from not realizing that all
good silage contains a large amount
Of corn; If this is not taken into con-
sideration and large ration of corn
is given beside, 1t might prove danger
Gus, or at least give serious bower
trouble. The animals we fed were IN
good health from first to last, were ex-
amined from time to time by vet
Urinary surgeon and found 10 DC III
normal condition"
After preliminary period OF feedlns
previous to the beginning of record
of weights, the animals given silage
were allowed all they would eat, though
this proved to be not as much as Is
readily devoured by cattle of the same
weight. This was considered an IN
dication that horses would eat (after
becoming accustomed to it, no more
than they could easily assimilate
The weights at the end of each week
showed that there was no falling of in
flesh; and this though all the animals
were constantly at work, except during
stormy weather. They all made gains
in weight, but those fed silage, corn
and hay, and the others fed corn and
hay alone, gained about equally. AS a
whole, it appeared from the results OF
the experiment that silage would make
a good roughage for horses when used
in connection with hay or slower and
grain, but that the animal should be-
come accustomed to the food by de-
grees, and that this is as important as
when changing from old to new corn,
or from hay to grass.