Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-08-21
Weekly Bureau of In
formation for All Who
Till the Soil or Are In
terested in Making Home,
SlLAGE GOOD FOR HORSES,
AS EXPERIMENTS PROVE

l.. II. hughes. Of the Missouri Arri-
cultural experiment station, furnishes
some information that may prove of
value TO Virginia farmers. He says:
In planting corn and building Silos
this year probably moro farmers than
ever before are providing Stlagc sup
ply for horses. The old feeling that
silaSc was good for dairy COWS only
was long discarded, but the horse Is
perhaps the last most important ami
NAL on tho farm to prove that II could
make good use OF silage. While cspe-
Cial care must he taken not 10 use
moldy or o,hov inferior s!lacc or to
depend too exclusively on silaGe. re-
cent tests OF the Missouri Agricultural
Experiment station ana long expert
oncc Of a few farmers and horScmcn
indicate that cost of upkccp can he
reduced and a horse kept in better con-
dition il from FIVE to twenty-five
pounds Of silarc arc fed per dag. or
course, the possibility OF saving de.
Ponds on the conditions and prices Of
other feeds and tile amount to he fed
depends upon the same things and upon
the size OF the horse and tho amount
OF silage he will eat. Different horses
of the same size vary on this point.
In the tests at tho Missouri Expert
meut Station, silaEc WAS fed as part
of the ration during the last two win
tcrs with favorable results, except i'm
case of ono three Ncar-uld PcrChcron
mare which refused the silagc ut iirst
,hon ate il when her feed was re-
,iuCed hut soon after had TO he taken
out OF the experiment because OF dis
temper and INDIGESTION. Tho horses
that received silaEc were more thrifty.
and their coats were in better cond-
ton. and cost less 30 feed than those
which were fed exclusively nonsilaEe
rations.
one Of the breeders. with whom the
college has kept in touch. has been
feeding silacc to about 100 draft
horses for twenty-f five years without
any sickness which Ire thinks could
he directly charged -ilaEe. During
the breeding season feeds silace to
the mares as usual. but gives none 10
the stallion, because he has diiitcu!ty
in getting the mares in foal when tho
stallion was fed on SilaGc. AT other
times he feeds eight pounds OF silage
at each OF the three feeds per day to
his aged stations in addition To soma
hay and grain. His two-ycar- old stall
lions get twenty pounds Of s!iare
day. and tho ycarlinSS about fifteen
pounds in addition 10 some hay and
grain. while the mares Win ioaia AT
side receive twenty pounds At wean-
ing timc this amount IS divided. and
about fifteen pounds is given 10 tho
mare and five pounds TO tn" colt. which
Is given more as IL grows and becomes
accustomed to this feed until at year
old he is getting fifteen pounds OF
SilaEe n day.
one Importing firm has fed silaGe
FOR five years following about the
methods just outlined and reports OK
cellent results and a reduction IN the
need for veterinary services.
Some Of the horscmen who have fed
inferior silagc have not had such uni
formiy good results, but it Is Il poor
plan to give a horse moldy or rotten
food Of any kind. Silage that has
been frozen or that was made from
immature corn is regarded with sus-
picion. som. owners have thought
that their horses had died as re
suit Of being fed such silagc, and while
tho station has not been able 10 learn
definitely that s!lafe was tho cause OF
death In these cases or fnd out cX-
actly how The supposed poison acted.
IL is we'll 10 take every precaution.
As silage is low In dry matter and
til. horse has not sufficient digestive
capacity 10 live entirely on such bulky
foeG, /, Is important TO remember 10
use alfalfa. cowpeas. or oihc" l"Gum"
hay. or perhaps even hiti" grain
FOR horses that arc not AZ work, while
growing horses. or horses ~ light
work should certainly have grain.
Fresh air and sunlieh, in tn" farm
er's house and barn will promot" Tn"
health az his family and his cattle
Mu!bcrri.s ar. very easily grown
from seed, and may often %" had for
the digging.
Turpcu,inc sprayed i'm the haEnt5 az
rocllroachcs will always dispcrse th"m.
ana often quite dcstr"y them.