The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1919-05-30
hore Cattle Can Be Fed II Win.
ter Feed Problem Is Solved
In This Way
GOOD SILO PAYS FOR ITSELF
The Sllo Uses All of the Corn Plant,
While Common Methods of Harvest
Ing the Crop Cause a Loss of a
Third of lts Food Value.
(By l.. A. Richardson, Division of Ex-
tension, University of Tennessee,
Knoxyille.)

tension, University of Tennessee,
Knoxville.)
In maintaining a system OF live
stock farming, the question of winter
feed presents big problem to many
Tennessee farmers 1t is common in
every section Of the state TO hear the
statement from farmers that, II would
like to keep more cattle were | able to
solve the winter feed problem on my
farm" II is true, the carrying ca
Dacity OF many farmers in summer on
pasture Is much greater than the num-
Der of cattle which may be fed thru
the winter.
Hundreds of farmers in the state
are solving this very problem to their
own satisfaction. The solution in this
state, as well as elsewhere, comes by
the addition of silO to 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 OF course, the first
two factors of raising the crop and
harvesting have to be considered, re-
gardless of the disposition of the crop.
However the third factor, and this
is the one which Scares so many farm
ers when considering the building Of
silo, Is not so great, after all. The
cost of storing the crop in the silo,
as compared to harvesting and storing
The corn and fodder, varies little. Es-
Inmates have been compiled on the
acre basis, under normal labor condi-
tons, which show that the variation
in cost Is from fifty cents to one dol
lar. The assembling of the labor to do
the job all at once is the real problem,
and not so much the cost.
Another thing worth consideration
is the fact that the whole corn plant
Is used. According to the common
practice on many farms from 20 to 30
per cent of the feeding value of the
corn plant is conserved Not only the
feeding value Of the grain itself is pre-
served, but also the stalk and foliage
Methods of handling the st0ver, when
it Is not put in the slo, causes great
loss. In feeding the fodder or slower,
the animal is unable to consume the
stalk, and in addition much of the
foliage skaters and is thus wasted.
The tonnage Of forage per acre must
naturally be taken into consideration.
An acre of corn converted into silags
will feed tive and one-hslf times far
Their than when fed in dry form. Most
any Tennessee land will produce from
8 to 10 tons of silage. Thus, not only
Is there an increased tonnage OF feed
per acre, but also the carrying ca
pacity of an acre is one and one-hslf |
times greater.
by experience, every farmer knows
that corn, when II has reached ma
turlty for harvest, makes a good feed |
for livestock. The silo renders il pos
sible TO preserve the plant when II has
reached its highest form Of nutritiys
value. Silage In Its relationship to
other feeds and rOushaEes bears the
same position as canned vegetables to
other food on the table. Thus, the
plant remains in a form which 10 not
pnly nutritious, but also succulent and
horoly palatsbie. Experience has
iaught the farmer that animals do
best on pasture, hence, the nearer
pasture conditions can be initiated
Turing the winter feeding periods the
better results farmers will secure.
Frequently the question arises that
'sttle wintered on silage do not make
rood gains on pasture. The Virginia
Ind West Virginia experiment sta
ions have proven that the annual gain
Il cattle wintered on silage and finish
d on pasture is greater and more
economical than that of those winter
" oh othtk tUu&haGtcs anu hhibitCu w
,rass Like grass, silaEe is laxative,
.solipx and. sacculent Hence the
hsnge frem sliaEe to grass may DO
eaae with lees disturbance to the d. II
'estivs ,systems ard eo1zeaaents no
ess in.weiFbf. isys-<s.a- - ). I'll
Another important feature to b II
akeR Int consideration on the farm
!. the spsee used in ster4nS rcughsge. II
lIIare can be stored In. less SPACE than
ny other form Of roughage. A cubic
oct Of hay In the NOW weighs about
pounds, contains approximately AZ
punds Of dry matter. An average ii
nbic foot Of corn silage from 3O-foet
10 weighs about Ses pounds. viii con-
ain 10.4 pounds Of dry matter, or
early two and one-haf times az
such. Dry corn fodder takes up more
pace per pound than hay. Thus, the
Ito economies in building space fer
he storage Of feed II
Barley, a Minnesota crop which has
one largely to the breweries, Is now