3IADE BY THE FARM DEPARTMENT. 113 



one-lialf pounds of cotton seed meal; while at the college farm, with five 

 pounds of cotton seed meal, one hundred and twenty pounds were necessary. 

 In these rations nearly all the carbhydrates needed, and a portion of the pro- 

 tein and fat is furnished at a very low price by the ensilage ; the balance of the 

 protein and fat is drawn from the cotton seed meal. It: desirable, a much 

 smaller quantity of the ensilage could be used, and the carbhydrates given in 

 form of corn meal or any feed rich in these compounds ; in ensilage they can 

 be had however, much cheaper than in any feed known to us at present. One 

 thing must be considered : If the quality of the ensilage obliges the farmer to 

 feed his cows more than eighty or ninety pounds daily per liead, there is reason 

 to fear they will scour. The amounts fed by the above named gentlemen have 

 varied from sixty-five to eighty pounds, and with these amounts no trouble 

 whatever has been experienced. We therefore conclude that if the ensilage is of 

 first-class quality, eighty pounds per day will furnish an animal with the full 

 amount of carbhydrates ; if it is of medium quality, it will be safer to limit 

 the amount to about ninety pounds, furnishing the rest of the carbhydrates in 

 form of feed or straw. 



From the above experiment we feel justified in concluding that milch cows 

 can be safely fed large quantities of this fodder, and that it is a perfect sub- 

 stitute for hay. The question of expense we reserve for a future bulletin. 



ENSILAGE EXPERIMENTS OF 1882-3. 



Is an acre of corn grown for fodder, ensilaged, worth more to feed cattle; 

 will it go farther than if cut up and dried in the ordinary way? is a question 

 often asked, but still not answered conclusively. While the answer possibly 

 may be in the negative (I am not of that opinion), it by no means follows that 

 ensilage would not even then have a very important place among our cattle 

 foods. If the reply should be in the affirmative, then, on the score of 

 economy, convenience in handling, and value, it would be almost indispensable 

 on a stock farm. This would be especially true where cows were kept for dairy 

 purposes, as ensilage being a succulent food, is calculated to produce a liberal 

 yield of milk. 



To still further test the value of ensilage as a practical, economical method 

 of storing and preserving fodder fresh and juicy for winter feeding — as a chief 

 substitute for roots^as a part ration with straw and coarse fodders, and espec- 

 ially ill comparison with corn grown on adjacent plats and under the same 

 conditions as the ensilage; but cut up and cured with great care in the ordi- 

 nary wav — were the thoughts in mind in planning our feeding experiments for 

 188-^ and '83. 



ANIMALS CHOSEN FOE THE EXPERIMENT. 



Three lots of cattle were selected from the college herd December IS, 1882. 

 15 



