PRICKLY COMFREY AS A FORAGE CROP. 7 



tion to "a little coin ineal." The average loss in weight of one lot 

 was 0.9 pound per week, and of the other lot 1.6 pounds. This loss 

 was not due to lack of capacity, since in a similar experiment with 

 mangolds, which contained as great a percentage of water as the coni- 

 frey, the hogs ate twice as much. 



Another test with older pigs was made, using foi- the first six weeks 

 a ration composed entirely of grain; the next four weeks a ratiim that 

 was 50 per cent corn ensilage; and the remaining five weeks of the 

 period a ration containing 50 per cent of comfrey. The comfiey was 

 fed freshlj^ cut and contained an average of 86.7 per cent of water. 

 In considering the cost p(M- j)ound of gain, the green comfrey was 

 rated at SI a ton. In one pen the comfrey and ensilage wei'e salted, 

 while in another pon the green feed was not salted. Neither lot of 

 })igs made a j)rofitablo growth while comfre}^ was fed, and the cost 

 per pound of gain in live weight for the period they were fed comfrey 

 was 9.53 cents in the pen where salt was not applied and 6.12 cents 

 in the pen where salt was applied, as against 3.38 cents in the first 

 pen and 3.07 cents in the second pen when fed the grain ration. 



VALUE OF PRICKLY COMFREY AS HAY OR ENSILAGE. 



Regarding the use of prickly condVey, the New York Agricultural 

 Experiment Station reports'^ as follows: "Our trials indicate that it 

 is of no value either for hay or ensilage. Its use, therefore, is con- 

 fined to that of a soiling crop." In Europe it has been used to some 

 extent for silage, but the watery and gummy nature of the leaves is 

 apt to cause it to heat in the silo and acquire a disagreeable odor. 



CROP YIELDS. 



From 14 to 16 tons of green matter per acre are reported by the 

 New York Agricultural Experiment Station," 46 tons by the Ver- 

 mont station,'* 6^ to 17 i tons b}-^ the North Carolina station, '^ and 33^ 

 tons by the Wisconsin station.'^ 



In dry matter the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station 

 reports'' a yield of 6,475 pounds of comfrey to the acre, compared to 

 7,987 })ounds of red clover. 



The Pennsylvania Agricidtural Ex])eriment Station reports « the 

 3'ield per acre of digestible material in comfrey, Kafir corn, and 

 cowpeas to be as follows: 



"Report, New York Agricultural Experiment Station, 1888, pp. 3;i2 and 33:3; 1889, 

 pp. 221 and 222. 



'' Report, Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station, 1889, p. 87. 

 <■ Bulletin 168, North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, pp. 429-432. 

 ** Rej)ort, Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station, 1889, pp. 207 and 211. 

 « Bulletin 6, Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station, pp. 14-1(). 

 ICir. 4TJ 



