Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-27
BY w. +. Ward, Animal Husbandman
in Beef Cattle Investigations.

in Beef Cattle Investigations.
There is no roughage which is of
more Importance TO the producer of
beef cattle than silage. The value of
silage to the beef producer varies con-
siderably and is dependent upon a
large number of other factors. If
rough folders are scarce or are high
priced, if the grain is high priced, or
If the grain is so near good market
that much of it can be readily sold,
silage will have a greater value than
if the opposite conditions exist. 1t
is a great saver Of grain regardless
of whether it is to be fed to stock
cattle or fattening cattle. 1t will les
sen the grain feeding by practically
the same amount as is contained in
the silage. The value will also depend
somewhat upon the kind of cattle to
which it is to be fed. If there is an
abundance of rough folders which can
not be marketed, silage will not be so
valuable but in a case of this kind the
silage would prove more valuable If
used for the calves and pregnant cows
and the coarse folders used for the
other stock.
DlldSe lOI tHt
For wintering the entire breeding
herd there is no roughage better than
silage. All of the animals will relish
a ration containing it and it will Gre
ate good appetite for all other feeds.
Cows that are fed all of the silage
they will consume along with clover
hay will go through the winter in fine
shape and make small gains. If the
amount of silage is limited, a more
economical method Of wintering them
will be to reduce the silage to half
ration, letting them have the run of
straw stack and feeding about 2
pounds of cottonseed meal or oil meal
per day. Some dry coarse fodder or
straw should always be kept before
animals getting silage, as it reduces
the amount of silage consumed and
prevents the bowels from becoming
too loose. The succulent feed will
cause the breeding cows to give a
good flow of milk even though the calf
be born in midwinter, and a thrifty
calf will result. If the silage is free
from mold or rotten spots there will
be no danger in feeding to breeding
cows.
Silage is especially beneficial for
calves which have just been weaned.
They take to this ration quicker than
to dry feed and there is usually little
loss i'm weight from the weaving. The
silage should be supplemented with
some good leguminous hay, as alfalfa,
cowpea, or clover, and the calves
should be given small amount of
grain. A mixture of one-half corn chop
and one-half cottonseed meal is ex-
cellent.
Silage for Stockers.
Each farmer will have to plan the
rations for his cattle according to the
amount of the various feeds he has
on hand. Stockers can be wintered
on silage and some good hay, fodder,
or straw, but this may not always be
the most profitable. When hay is high
priced and grain is reasonably cheap
or plenty of silage is available, 1T may
be more economical to omit the hay
altogether. A ration of corn silage
alone has often been profitable for
thin cattle. Stockers which have been
fed literally all winter and made to
put on good gains usually do not make
as large daily gains when put on grass
as do steers which have not been quite
so well fed. The time the cattle are
to be finished for market and the de-
gree of fairness ~ be attained should
govern to a large ktent the method
to he followed during the winter.
When beeves are expfcted TO sell high
in the early summerl and the steers
are to be finished fort markt at that