The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1913-03-26


The characteristics of good corn
silage make it pre-eminently feed
for dairy cattle. 1t is palatable,
succulent, bulky. beneficial to the
digestive tract, and economical.
These are among the leading char
acteristics of the ration which is
essential to the largest and most
economical flow of milk. In fact.
most dairy farmers in the corn
belt realize that to secure the larg-
est possible profits from the herd
of cows they must feed corn silage.
In regions where corn cannot be
grown successfully for silage many
dairy men have silos in which
they cure other corps.
Experiments carried on at the
different experiment stations show
conclusively that silage is far super
Tor to shock corn or hay in milk
production. Silage fed cows pro-
duced from eleven to thirteen per
cent more milk than cows fed fod-
der from the same acreage.
Contrary to the opinion former
ly held the milk from silage feed
cows is not inferior in flavor or
odor to the milk from cows fed dry
feed. The condensed milk COM
panies which formerly did not
favor milk from silage fed cows. are
now advising their patrons to put
up silos.
Great care should be taken, how
ever, to prevent the odor of sill
age from communicating the fresh
ly drawn milk which takes up Cd
ors very quickly. 1t is best to
feed the silage after milking and
Just what will be eaten up clean
at that feed. The silos should be
shut off from the barn proper. The
idea still held by some. that corn
silage will destroy the teeth and
digestive tract of the COW and in-
duce such diseases as tuberculosis.
is erroneous.
The principal reason why dairy
COW increases her milk flow when
she DIS turned out to pasture in the
spring is that she is receiving a
sucoulent feed. Thus If We wish
to secure a large and persistent
flow of milk during the months of
winter we must feed some succu-
lent feed that will take the place
of the pasture grass of summer.
The two most common succulent
feeds for winter are corn silage
and roots. Experimental work has
proved that the silage yields more
heavily per acre, costs less and
gives equal results from similar
weights of dry matter.
One of the chief reasons why
so many of our cows are unprofit-
able is that they lack persistency
or do not keep up the flow of milk
for long period. While this is
largely due to inherited character
iStitS, YET IL ali N""o "Vic picPe''S
fed on corn silage and other de-
sirable feeds. much less trouble
would be experienced in trying to
keep cows up to their normal flow.
Silage and alfalfa or clover hay
should form the basis of our ra-
tons for dairy cows in winter. A
good ration would be twenty-five
to forty-five pounds of good corn
silage, all the alfalfa or clover hay
the cows wish, or ten to fifteen
pounds, and seven pounds of grain
for each pound of butter fat, or
one pound of grain for each two
and one-half pounds of milk pro-
duced, depending upon the amount
and richness of the milk.
During the latter part of July and
the month of August, the pas
lures are usually very short, due
to hot weather and lack of rainfall.
If we are to keep up the flow of
milk at this critical time we must
supply additional feed. There are
many soiling crops which will sup
ply the necessary feed In accept
able form, but most of them re-
quire more labor in getting them
A. Ic than bo ouaro orc