Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-16


easiest way to do this is by means
of silage Silage is cheaper and de-
cidedly more convenient to use than
soiling crops.
The amounts to fead will depend
upon the condition OF the pastures,
varying all the way sfrorn ten pounds
to a full winter feed of forty pounds.
1t should be remembered In this con-
nection that silage contains q low
percentage of protein, SO that the
greater the amount of silage fed the
greater must be the amount of pro-
tein in the supplementary feeds to
properly balance the ration.
Corn for silage.
In all parts Of the United States
where the silo has come into general
use the principal silage crop Is corn.
One reason for this is that ordinarily
corn will produce more food material
to the acre than apy other crop which
can be grown. It Is more easily har-
vested and put into the silo than any
of the hay crops, such as clover,
cowpeas, or alfalfa.
Furthermore, corn makes an excel
lent quality of silage. The legumes
such as clover and alfalfa, are liable
pack the silage thoroughly and force
the air out. The only objection which
has been raised concerning corn ST.
lage is the fact that it contains in
sufficient protein fully to meet the re-
quirements of animals to which 1t
may be fed. The best variety of corn
to plant is that which will mature
and yield the largest amount OF grain
to the acre, since the grain Is the
most valuable part of the corn plant.
The variety commonly raised in any
particular locality for grain will also
be the most satisfactory to grow for
silage.
In some sections 1t is common
practise to plant the corn a little
thicker when raised for silage than
for grain. Weeds should be kept out,
or they will be cut with the corn and
NAV impair the quality of the silage.
The amount Of silage that can be- OBJ
tanned from an acre of corn will vary
from four to twenty tons or more.
A ffty-bushel per acre crop of corn
will yield about eight to twelve tons
of silage per acre, depending upon the
amount Of foliage and stalk that &C
companies the ear. Southern varie-
proportion of the plant in the form
of stalk and leaves than do the
northern-gr varieties. Corn should
be harvested for the silo at about the
same time that II is harvested for
fodder.
Sorghums both saccharine and nom
saccharine are readily made into sill
age On account of their superiority
to corn as drought-resisting crops
they are more commonly grown in
those regions Of the West where the
Vs-Es lax fxv.
a good growth of corn. 1t lis import
ant that the sorghums be harvested
at the proper stage OF maturity II
the best results are to be secured
A mixture Of corn and sorghum has
proved satisfactory in some localities
where the rainfall was so variable
as to make the corn crop uncertain.
Glover May BE Used.
Clover can be used successfully as
a silage crop, yielding a palatable
product high In protein. but 1t is pre-
ferable to make it into hay or the
silage made from clover as from
other legumes has an Objectionable
odor necessitating particular care In
feeding to avoid tainting the milk. 1t
does not pack so we'll as corn so
great care should be exercised In the
tramping of the silage at the time
of filling, and the depth of the silo
should also receive particular atten-
ton. Glover should be chopped be-
fore SLIDING as a matter of convenience
in feeding and also to secure more
thorough packing, although II can
be placed In the silo without chop
ping. Glover should be harvested
when in full bloom and some Of the
first heads are dead.
Cowpeas, Alfalfa and Soy Beans.
Cowpeas, alfalfa and soy beans can
be successfully made into silage by
exercising the same precautions as
with clover. They should be cut at
the same time as for haymaking.
However, It is ordinarily preferable,
as with clover. to make them into
hay rather than silage. The fermen-
tations which take place in silage
made of legumes cause a greater loss
of nutritive material than with corn
silage. Corn husks and pea vines
from canning factories, beet pulp and
other by-products, are also used in
certain localities for filling the silo.
Corn for the siIp can be cut either
by hand or by machine. Hand cut
ting is practised on farms where the
amount of corn to be harvested is so
small as to make the expense of pur-
chasing a corn harvester too great
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