The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-10-17
slLAGE AS A FEED.

slLAGE AS A FEED.
Silago, whether 1t be made from
corn kafr milo or some other crop,
if cured properly, will not differ very
materially from the green crop from
which ii is made. No matter how
well the crop is packed in the silo a
snail amount of air will remain be
tween the pieces OF silage Decom-
position will take place just in pro
portion to the amount OF air present.
In a good silo. properly filled this
loss in dry matter through this de.
composition and breaking down to
a certain extent of the protein and
carbohydrates into somewhat less
nutritious compounds, Silage through
the curing process in the silo does
not increase in digestlbiity 1t con
tains somewhat less nutriment ana is
slightly less digestible than the green
crop from which it was made irhe
silagc consists of from 70 to so per
cent water It is consequently very
succulent feed and good silage is
very palatable to live stock Prairie
hay. alfalfa hay, cowpea hay and
similar hays ordinarily contain from
10 to Is parts OF water to tho hun
dred sorghum hay and kafr hay
usually contains from 20 to 2 parts
OF water, while corn fodder contains
on an average from 40 to 80 parts
water The water in these feeds has
no value as a nutrmcnt and their
actual and comparative feeding value
largely depend on the proportion OF
d.gestible dry matter contained.
Experiments indicate that corn
cured as silage is approximately 10
per cent more efficient for feeding
dairy cows, fattenlng steers and
growing cattle than the same corn
cured as fodder. There are other
advantages in favor of the silage The
silage will be eaten up clean by the
stock where there would ordinarily
be 10 per cent or more corn fodder
left uneaten. Silage is very palatahle
and Is stored conveniently so that it
is available for feeding at all. times
Silagc For Dairy Cows. 49,. .,.
1t is practical to feed dairy cows in
full milk from 30 to GO pounds Of
slage daily Silage Is considered to
take the place in the ration of one
quarter as much hay or two-iifths as
much AS corn fodder by weight. Be
sides having a tendency to stimulate
milk flow silage promotes the health
Of the COW. South Carolina Expert.
ment Station and some practical
dairymen have satisfactorily fed
cows on a ration consisting solely of
silage as a roughage and cotton seed
meal as q concentrate. This makes
one Of the cheapest rations possible
and suitable for COWS kept for com
mercial dairying, but not ration to
be recommended for valuable pure
bred dairy cows.
For Fattening Cattle.
Silage has been found TO be feed
well suited for feeding fattening cat
tie by a number Of Experiment sta
tlons and practical feeders. Ordin
arily it is not practical to feed it as
the sole roughage in a ration to
fattening cattle and seldom in excess
Of 30 pounds daily per steer. While
silage fed steers are found to make
satisfactory and economical gains and
show a thrifty, snappy condition,
where they are fed in a cold climate
they must have more protection than
cattle fed dry feed.
For Growing Cattle. ... ..,. ....
Silage furnishes a succnlent ration
much appreciated by young cattle
They will maintain a sapply sleek,
thrifty condition through the winter
season when literally fed on a ration
consisting partly Of silage
For Horses. .. ... .. ......
Salge is not well suited to horse
feeding In the case Of many horses
it predsposes to washiness and collie.
1t is seldom practical to feed silage
to horses in excess Of 10 pounds daily
and hard worked horses should not
be fed more than ; pounds each daily
For Sheep.
Half of the roughage ration for
sheep may satisfactorily consist of
slage. Breeding cows cannot be
maintained during the
winter season on silage alone.
For Hogs.
Silage is not a hog feed and in
general 1t would be waste TO feed
silage to logs as they viii eat little
but the grain.
For Poultry.
Poultry will eat little Of the silage
except the grain and for this reason
1t would be a waste to feed good corn.
kafir, milo or sorghum silage to
A. Linklater, Depart
ment Of Animal Husbandry, Oklaho-
ma A. & NJ. College, Still yater.