The Sneedville news. (Sneedville, Tenn.) 191?-19??, 1919-07-11
CORN SILAGE
tIpFuR CATTLE
1ksre Cattle Can Be Fed II Win.
ter Feed Problem Is Solved
In This Way
GOOD sIIO PAYS FOR ITSELF
The sIIo Uses Al OF the Corn Plant,
While Common Methods Of Harvest
ing the Crop Gauss a Loss OF a
Third Of Its Food Value.

(By l.. A. Richardson, Division Of Ex-
tension, University of Tennessee,
Knoxville.)
In maintaining a system Of live
stock farming, the question of winter
feed presents a big problem to many
Tennessee farmers. IL Is common in
every section of the state TO hear the
statement from farmers that, Il would
like to keep more cattle were able to
solve the winter feed problem on my
farm" IT Is true, the carrying ca
paclty Of many farmers in summer on
pasture In much greater than the num-
her of cattle which may be fed thru
the winter.
Hundreds Of farmers In the state
are solving this very problem to lleir
own satisfaction The solution In this
state, as well as elsewhere, comes by
the addition OF a silo 10 the farm
equipment. Silage. next to blue grass,
Is the cheapest and most economical
ration the Tennessee farmer can pro-
vide. There are three factors which
control the cost Of this cheap succu-
lent feed the cost of raising the crop,
the tonnage per acre. and the cost of
filling the silo. or course. the first
two fnctors of raising the crop and
harvesting have 10 he considered, re-
rardless of the disposition Of the crop.
However, the third factor, and this
IL the one which scares so many farm
ers when considering the building or
"A sllo, Is not so great, after all. The
cost Of storing the crop In the silo,
VAS compared TO harvesting and storing
k.he corn and fodder, varies little. Es-
tImafes have been complied on the
acre basis, under normal labor condi-
tions. which show that the variation
IN cost Is from fifty cents 10 one. dol
liar. Tie assembling Of the labor TO do
khe lob all at once Is the real problem.
Md not so much the cost.
Another thing worth consideration
the fact that the whole corn pinnt
used. According 10 the common
@1n1>ice on many farms from 20 to b
|@nnt of the feeding value OF the
liant Is conserved. Not only the
value OF the grain itself II pre-
but also the stalk and foliage.
: OF handling the stover, when
III put In the silo, causes great
VI IN feeding the fodder or slower,
onssnal Is unable TO consume tho
and In addition much OF the
lnwe shutters aud Is thus wasted.
ne tonnage of forage per acre must
tally be taken into consideration.
Z ~ acre OF corn converted into silage
| ~ feed two and one-half times far
MIR than when fed In dry form. Most
~ tennessee land will produce from
| 4 % 10 tons If silage. Thus. not only
\ - Their, an increased tonnage OF feed
- acre. bur also the carrying Gu
\ peeity ~ an acre is one and one-haif
times greater.
nv experience, every farmer knows
that corn. when II has reached ma
turity for harvest, makes a good feed
for livestock. The silo renders II pos
sible to preserve the plant when II has
reached It's highest form of nutritlve
value. Silage In its relationship TO
other feeds aud roughages hears the
same position as canned vegetables TO
other food ON the table. Thus, the
plant remains in a form which Is not
only nutritious. hut also succulent and
thoroly palatable. Experience has
taught the farmer that animals do
hest on pasture, hence. the nearer
pasture conditions can he Initiated
during the winter feeding periods the
better results farmers Will secure.
Frequently the question arises that
cattle wintered on silage do not make
good gains on pasture. The Virginia
} and West Virginia experiment sta
tions have proven that the annual gain
of cattle wlntered on silage and finish
ed on pasture is greater and more
economical than that Of those winter
|, ed on other roughages. and finished on
grass. Like grass silage Is laxative,
cooling. and succulent Hence. the
: change from silage 10 grass may he
made with less disturbance to the d.
sestIye systems and consequently no
loss in weight.
Another important feature TO be
taken into consideration on the farm
Is the space used in storing roughage.
sIlage can be stored In less space Than
any other form Of roughage. A cubic
foot Of hay In the NOW weighs about
q pounds. contains approximately a
pounds OF dry matter. An average
cubic foot OF corn silage from q 3O-fooi
silo weighs about SOC pounds. will con-
tain l04 pounds Of dry matter. or
nearly two and one-hnif times as
; much. DRY corn fodder takes up more
SPACE per pound than hay. Thus. the
silo economies in building space fos
the storage Of feed