The Question Box. 297 



When a man has a silo he ft^ill be surprised to see how much a 

 cow will eat, and will begin feeding better. For one, I much 

 prefer to have one cow well fed, than two half starved. 



Will corn put into the silo whole keep in good condition? 



Mr. Ward. — We had a neighbor who filled two siloes with uncut 

 ensilage. The next year he took it all out and threw it away. I 

 never have known of whole ensilage keeping well. 



What can I best raise to put in my silo to feed during the drouth in 

 summer? 



Mr. Terry. — Corn. It is the best crop; but one must supple- 

 ment it with some protein crop, such as wheat bran. One should 

 have two siloes, one for summer the other for winter feeding. 



Mr. Cook. — Have two siloes — and do not make the mistake of 

 making them too large, because we ought to feed off enough from 

 the surface to prevent the molding of the ensilage. Next summer 

 we will build two additional siloes, one to be filled with corn for 

 summer feeding, as I am satisfied the cows suffer more for the 

 want of proper food in summer than in winter, and summer en- 

 silage will supply the want, in great part. 



How do peas and oats compare with corn as a soiling crop? 



Mr. Cook. — We prefer the peas and oats, for the reason that 

 they contain more protein than does the corn. But one should 

 have both; one to balance the other. Still, when corn is well 

 grown and preserved in the form of ensilage, it seems to knock 

 out, somewhat, the objection that it is not a milk-producing food. 



Which do you recommend for a summer soiling crop, newly mown 

 alfalfa or good corn ensilage? 



Mr. Converse. — We have had considerable experience in feeding 

 alfalfa and ensilage as soiling crops. We prefer the latter for the 

 reason of the expense attending the going into the field every 

 day and cutting alfalfa. At our cheese factory, and another one a 

 mile away, last summer, only eleven patrons out of seventy-one 

 had anything to tide their cows over the drouth. It is one of the 

 gravest and most costly mistakes the average farmer makes— this 

 neglect to provide some soiling crop for the cows when the annual 

 drouth comes on. Beside that, when we have ensilage, we can 



