Arizona AciKicuLTUKAL Expkrimunt Station 460 



both the standpoint of milk production and maintaining body 

 weight with an equal quantity of good silage. 



SI LACE FOR RANGE CATTLE 



The crops of corn and grain sorghums secured at the Cochise 

 and Prescott Dry Farms were placed in silos and used for studying 

 the suitability of silage to tide cattle over short range. In Cochise 

 County the range was unusually short and backward during the 

 year 1917, and the heavy covering of snow in Yavapai County pro- 

 duced short range, causing many animals to die from starvation. 



Cochise Dry farm: Fifteen cattle were fed silage and dry pas- 

 ture to ascertain the economy of using dry farm feeds for range 

 cattle. The animals were a mixed lot, consisting of three Hereford 

 steers, nine months old, two Hereford heifers, two years old, one 

 Holstein heifer, two years, one Hereford Bull, two years, and six 

 cows of mixed breeding, ranging in age from two to ten years, 

 ^rhere were five cows with calves at the beginning of the experi- 

 ment, and another calf was born before the experiment closed. The 

 animals averaged 564.3 pounds at the beginning of the test and after 

 being fed an average of 98 days weighed 646.4 pounds. They con- 

 sumed about 55.4 pounds of silage jjer day and gained from 1 to 

 125 pounds per head. The entire lot of 15 (omitting the calves) 

 gained 1231 pounds, or an average of 82.1 pounds per head. 



Prescott Dry Farm: In February, 1917, fourteen grade Here- 

 fords were selected to study the efifect of feeding silage alone over 

 a period of six weeks. Among the animals were seven cows so 

 thin that a conservative stockman estimated about four of them 

 would die before spring if left on the range. The animals were 

 given all the silage they would consume without waste. The aim 

 was to feed them well so that they would be in good condition 

 rather than to learn how little silage would carry them over the 

 winter. The animals ate about fourteen tons of silage or one ton 

 each in six weeks. This would amount to 47.6 pounds consumed 

 per head daily. All the cattle thrived on the silage and undoubtedly 

 made good gains. They were strong at the close of the experiment 

 and withstood shipping a considerable distance to spring range. 

 During the summer they proved to be good rustlers and gave every 

 indication of having completely recovered. 



The results of the two tests give conclusive proof that silage 

 is a good feed for cattle when the range is inferior. The succulent 

 and nutritive qualities of the silage not only keep the animals alive, 

 but it gives weak, hungry cows a new strength to hunt for food. 



