The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1916-07-13

CFrom the Missouri Agricultural Expert
ment StatlonD
Silage is to animals about what
canned vegetables, fruit and kaut are
to people. 1t helps sc furnish bulk, to
save the necessity for buying more eX-
pensive feed, and to make the whole
feed taste good to the animal. II helps
to give the advantage of summer pas
lures during winter or during late
summer droughts. Just as canned fruit
is sometimes used even during the
summer time, some farmers use silage
even during the best grazing season
of the summer.
Corn is the principal crop used in
the Silage partly because ii makes
more tons of silagc per acre and partly
because it is improved by being made
into silage more than most other crops.
OF course, there are conditions un-
der which silage must be very care
fully used and others under which it
must not be used at all, but it is
worthy of so much more wider use
than it has at present that the Mis-
souri, agricultural experiment station
is spending "A great deal of time and
effort to find out exactly when and
how it should be used and to secure
its use under the proper Circun-
stances. Almost every member of the
staff is giving some attention to this
problem from Director +. Il. Mumford
to one of his younger students who
took home plans last summer from his
farm engineering courses and built a
1l5-ton silo on his fathers farm. After
careful investigation Director Mum
ford finds that cattle can be wintcred
very economically on ration made up
largely of silage.
In one experiment, q ration of corn
Silage and cover hay without grain
fed to yearilng cattle for $50 days re-
suited in gain of 200 pounds for the
feeding period of $50 days at total
cost Of SLIGO or Il cost of 80 cents a
pound of gain, as compared with n
total cost of S15.75, and rs cents a
pound, when "A similar lot of cattle
was fed on 6 pounds of shclcd corn
per head per day aud clover hay.
These results have been confirmed
in other experiments which all point
to the conclusion that when silage CON
Stitutcs the major portion of the ra-
ton fed TO wintering or stock cattle,
the cost of wintering is much reduced.
siIage for Horses.
In planting corn and building SilOs
this year probably more farmers than
ever before are providing silage sup
ply for horses. The old feeling that
Slagc was good for dairy cows only
was long ago discarded, but the horse
is perhaps the last more important ami
NAL on the farm TO prove that it could
make good use of silage. While es-
pecial care must be taken not to use
moldy or other inferior silagc or to
depend too exclusively on silaGc, the
recent tests of the Missouri agriculture
al experiment station and long cXpe-
rience of a few farmers and horscmcn,
indicate that cost of uplccp can be re-
duccd and horse kept in better CON
dition if from to % pounds of silage
are fed per day. OF course, the posi-
bility of saving depends on the condi-
ton, and prices of other feeds and
the amount to be fed depends upon the
same things and upon the size of the
horse and the amount of siIage he viii
J,ifT,ryrt l4pgng If "A q
vary on this point.
In the tests at the Missouri station,
silagc was fed as part of the ration
during the last two winters with favor
able results, except in case Of one
thrce.y car-old Percheron mare which
refused the silage at first, then ate it
when her feed was reduced, but soon
after had to he taken out Of the OK
pertinent because of distemper and in
digestion. The horses that received
Siagc were more thrifty, and their
cats were in better condition. ana
cost less to feed than those which
We're fed exclusively nonsilaGe rations.
AS siIagc IS low in dry matter ana
the horse has not sufficient digestive
capacity 70 live entirely on such bulky
feed, 1t Is important to remember TO
use alfalfa, cowpeas, or other lcgumc
hay. or perhaps even little grain
for horses that are not at work, while
growing horses, or horses at light
work should certainly have grain.
Spoiled siIaae.
Prof G. IT, EclIios. head Of the dairy
department. he's recently made cure
ful studies Of the silnge In wood, brick,