280 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



DISCUSSION OF FEEDING STUFFS. 



Silage. — In keeping a record of the consumption of dry matter per 

 day per cow the most troublesome factor has been the silage. On page 

 88 ■ it is shown that, in the winter of 1895-96, the silage at the top of 

 the silo contained much less water than that at the bottom, and that 

 the per cent of dry matter varied continually. It is hard, therefore, 

 to construct a table of fodder analyses that will fairly represent the 

 composition of a given sample of silage at a given time on account 

 of this great variability of the moisture content. The average per cent 

 of dry matter in the nine samples analyzed in the early months of 189(5 

 was 23.33. Where the silage was cut before the corn was fully mature 

 aDd put in small silos the per cent of dry matter was very low as shown 

 by the samples taken December 1, 1896. 



Corn silage was used as the basis of the ration for the three years in 

 which the complete dairy records have been kept. The butter made 

 from the milk of the silage fed cows was of excellent quality, of the 

 right consistency and body and free from any unpleasant flavors that 

 could be traced to the silage. This was true although no special pains 

 were taken to ventilate the barn prior to milking. 



The cows were universally fond of the silage, and would eat it to 

 the full amount allowed. Very little, if any, refuse was left in the 

 mangers, the whole corn plant seeming to be consumed. No experiments 

 have been undertaken at this Station to determine the relative values 

 of field cured corn fodder and silage. That matter has, however, been 

 so thoroughly studied in other states that conclusions seem to be well 

 established. It has been found by a series of accurate experiments 

 that the dry matter of silage is slightly more digestible than that of 

 field cured corn fodder; that the losses in the silo are less than in field 

 cured fodder when treated in the usual way; that an acre of corn will 

 produce slightly more butter when stored in the silo than when field 

 cured, and finally that an acre of corn can be put in the silo for approxi- 

 mately the expense involved in handling by the older methods. Our long 

 experience demonstrates the practical value of the silo. 



Early Amber Sorghum. — For the past few years this station has joined 

 with those in other states in the investigation of new forage crops which 

 it was hoped might take the place of corn or supplement it. Among 

 these new forage crops sorghum and Kaffir corn have been urged upon the 

 public. In 1896 a plot of a half acre was planted to sorghum for compari- 

 son with Kaffir corn and "Salzer's Superior Fodder Corn." The seed 

 was planted in hills 18 inches apart in rows three feet apart, on the 5th of 

 May. The soil was a sandy loam, heavily manured the fall previous. 

 The plot was cultivated with a Breed's weeder May 14th, and frequently 

 later during the season with a two horse cultivator. Although germina- 

 tion was much retarded by a cold, wet spring the sorghum grew rapidly 

 during the summer and was, as far as could be judged by persons inexpe- 

 rienced in growing the crop, ready for harvest by September 1st. On 

 that date the plot was cut, samples taken for analysis, and the entire 

 yield put in the silo. 



