The Sneedville news. (Sneedville, Tenn.) 191?-19??, 1919-05-30
CORN SilAGE
FOR CATTLE
More Cattle Can Be Fed II Win.
ter Feed Problem Is Solved
In This Way
GOOD SIO 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.
Uy L. A. Richardson. Division Of Ex-
tension, University OF Tennessee,
knOxville)

tBy l.. a. Richardson, Division Of Ex-
tension, University OF Tennessee,
KnOxville)
In maintaining system Of live
stock farming. the question of winter
feed presents big problem 10 many
Tennessee farmers. II is common in.
every section of the state 10 hear the
statement from farmers that, II would
Ike TO keep more cattle were ] able 10
solve the wiaier feed problem on my
farm" IL is true. the carrying Gu
pacity Of many farmers in summer on
pasture Is much greater than The num-
Der of cattle which may he fed thru
the winter.
Hundreds of farmers In the state
are solving this very problem To their
own satisfaction. The solution Ia this
stale. US we'll as elsewhere, comes 10y
the addition of a silo 10 the farm
equipment. Sllage, next 10 blue grass,
IL the cheapest and most economical
ra tlon 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
hlllng the silo. OF course, thef first
two factors OF raising the crop ahd
harvesting have Ia be considered, re-
CARELESS of tile disposition of the erolS'
However, the third factor, aud thiS
IL the one which scnres 30 many farm
ers when considering the building Of
| a. IL affair all The
cost of storing the crop In the stio,
us compared Ia harvesting and storing
The corn aud fodder. varies little. Es-
Inmates have been complied Oh the
acre basis. under normal labor condf-
tions, which show that the ysrlaiiot
IN cost IL from ffty cents tS-Dns doh.
lar. The assembling of the labor To 10
the lob all at once Is the real problem.
and not 81 much the cost.
Another thing worth considerations
In the fact that the whole corn paint
| IN used. According to the common
practice on many farms from 20 10 q,
per cent 90 the feeding value of the
corn plant Is conserved. Not only the
feeding value of the grain itself Is -
served. hut also the stalk and foil we.
Methods of handling the slower, wien
| II In not put In the sllo. causes x. ear
loss. la feeding the fodder ar stoser.
the animal In unable TO consume thu
stalk. aud In addition much OF III
foliage shutters aud il thus wasted
The tonnage Of forage per acre isSEc-
naturally be taken into consdera tIosAl
An acre of corn converted into sitnuw
| will feed two and one half times far
| Their than when fed In dry form. Most
any Tennessee land will produce from
To 10 tons of silagr. Thus, not only
IN there an Increased tonnage Of feed
per acre, but also the carrying ca
paclty of an acre is one and one-haif
times greater.
ny experience, every farmer know.
that corn. when Il has reached M
turity for harvest, makes n good feeN
! for livestock. The silo renders it pos
sible To preserve the plant when II has
reached lts highest form Of nutritlve'
value. Silagc In its relation ship to-
other feeds and roughnges bears the
same position a. canned vegetables to-
other food on the table. THUS. tive
plant remains Ia form which IL not
only nutritious. but also succulent and
thoroly palaiuble Experience has
taught the farmer that animals de
best on pasture. hence. the nearer
pasture conditions Csn he initiated
during the winter feeding periods tha
better results farmers viii secure.
Frequently the question arises that
cattle wintrrcd nn silagc do not make
good gains on pasture The Virginia
and West Virginia experiment sta
/ tions have proven that the annual gain
of cattle wIntcred ON silaEe aud finish
ell ON pasture Is greater and more
economical than that of those winter
ed on other roughagcS. and finished On
| grass Like grass, silage il laxative.
cnoling. and succulent. Hence, the
/ change from silage to grass may 10
made with less disturbance IL the Ill
I grstive systems and consequently no
/ luSs In weight
Another Important feature 10 he
taken into consideration on the farm
T. thu space uscd In storing roughage.
Silagr can be stored in less space than
any other form " roughage. A cubic
foot OF hay In the NOV weighs about
5 pounds. contains approximately AZ
pounds OF dry matter. An average
cubic foot Of corn silsge from 3ofc"t
slo weighs about 3e5 pounds. will con-
tain l04 pounds " dry matter. ~
nearly two and oneh half tines ~
much. Try corn fodder takes M morr
/ space per I,ound Than hay Thus. the
.slo cconomizes in building SPACE for
me storage Of feed