state Dairy Association. 255 



for the silage and at one and one-half tons to the acre — a large 

 crop for Missouri — would require 45 acres to grow the hay. 



This 10 acres of silage was the nutrient equivalent of 1,420 

 bushels of corn, which at 60c a bushel would be $850, or $85 an 

 acre. It would require 35 acres of ground to produce it at 40 

 bushels to the acre. 



Again, this silage crop equaled in value 58 tons of bran, which 

 at the present value would be $1,400, $140 for each acre. 



Once more, this ten acre silage crop was the equivalent of 45 

 tons of cotton seed meal, which at $30 per ton, equaled $1,450 or 

 $145 an acre for silage. 



A farmer adjoining me owning an 80 acre farm wished to buy 

 20 acres from me, but I advised him to put up a silo and he would 

 have larger return from his 80 acres than he could get from the 

 100; however, he has not done it. Sometimes a Missourian re- 

 quires a good deal of "showing." These are some of the valuer 

 of silage : 



1. It stores well. When properly housed it will keep with 

 less wastage than corn or oats in the crib or hay in the stack. It 

 also keeps longer. 



2. It is harvested when corn (the greatest food plant that 

 grows) has reached its utmost development. When nature can 

 put no more into it and before she claims anything back out of 

 it, then it is cut and stored and sealed for future use. It is put 

 away in its own juices and is so soft that even the cob is thorough- 

 ly masticated and thus digestion is easy and most complete. 



3. Cows eat it greedily. "The proof of the pudding is in the 

 eating of it." 



4. It corresponds to the nature of the cow. It is a bulk 

 feed. Cows have big stomachs. They were made for grass. The 

 corn plant is a big grass and cut up fine for her in the form of 

 silage. It makes her winter ration most like her summer blue grass. 

 Concentrated condensed feeds contract the stomachs and must 

 work a very radical readjustment of the internal cow, but con- 

 centrated feeds can be fed with great advantage mixed with the 

 bulkier silage. 



5. There is absolutely no wastage in feeding when judicious- 

 ly fed. I feed my cows from 40 to 50 pounds of silage each daily 

 and they "lick the platter clean." 



6. There is practically no waste in harvesting; the stalk, the 

 blade, the grain, the cob, the tassel are all utilized. The usual 

 method is to save the ear and largely waste the rest of the plant. 



