Grainger County news. (Rutledge, Tenn.) 1917-current, 1919-06-05
CORN SILAGE =,
FOR CATTLE
More Cattle Can Be Fed II Win
ter Feed Problem Is Solved
In This Way
GOOD SILO PAYS FOR ITSELF
The siIo Uses All Of the Corn Plant,
While Common Methods Of Harvest
Ing the Crop Cause a Loss Of a
Third Of Its Food Value.
(By L. A. Richardson, Division of Ex-
tension, University of Tennessee,
Knoxvllle.)

-
(By L. A. Richardson, Division of Elk
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. 1t is common in
every section of the state to hear the
statement from farmers that, 81 would
like to keep more cattle were l able to
solve the winter feed problem or my
farm" 1t is true, the carrying ca
paclty 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 a 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-
CARELESS 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
a 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 condl-
lions, which show that the variation
in cost is from fifty cents to Il 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 80
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 slower, when
1t is not put in the silo, auses 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 silage
will feed two and one-half 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-half
times greater.
BY experience, every farmer knows
that corn, when it has reached ma
turity for harvest, makes a good feed
for livestock. The silo renders it pos
sible to preserve the plant when it has
reached its highest form Of nutritive
value. Silage in its relationship to
other feeds and ~roughages bears the
same position as canned vegetables to
other food on the table. Thus, the
plant remains in a form which is not
only nutritious, but also s~ucculent and
thoroly palatable. Experience has
taught the farmer hat animals do
best on pasture, hence, the nearer
pasture conditions can be 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
tons have proven that the annual gain
Of cattle wintered on silage and finish
ed on pasture is greater and more
economical than that of those winter
ed on other r%oughages, and finished on
grass. Like grass, silage Is laxative,
cooling, and succulent. Hence, the
change from silage to grass may be
made with less disturbance to the di-
gestive 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
5 pounds, contains approximately 43
pounds Of dry matter. An average
cubic foot Of corn silage from a 30-fo0t
silo weighs about 1916 pounds, will con-
tain 1914 pounds Of dry matter, or
nearly two and one-half times as
much. Dry corn fodder takes up more
space per pound than hay. Thus, the
silo economies in building space for
the storage Of feed.