state Dairy Association. 263 



and costs only about $2.00 per ton to produce and put in the silo. 

 The advantages of silage may be stated as follows: 



1. It furnishes a succulent feed in winter which is beneficial 

 to the health of the herd and increases the flow of milk. 



2. It saves a large amount of feed which ordinarily goes to 

 waste in the stalk field. 



3. The use of the silo is the most convenient method of caring 

 for the corn crop, and silage is easily and conveniently fed to the 

 cows. 



4. There is scarcely any waste in feeding silage of good 

 quality. If not over-fed, cows will eat it up clean. 



Corn is the most common crop used for silage, but sorghum is 

 used to a considerable extent. Cows seem to relish sorghum silage 

 a little better than corn silage and the feeding value is otherwise 

 about equal. A mixture of corn or sorghum with either cowpeas 

 or soy-beans makes an excellent silage. The cowpeas may be 

 planted in the corn or sorghum and harvested with it; but the 

 sorghum should be grown separately and the two crops mixed 

 while filling the silo, since the soybean will not grow well if shaded. 



If the corn is to be grown for silage on rich land it should be 

 planted a little thicker than ordinarily, so that the stalks will not 

 be too large. It will give a better yield of silage per acre and there 

 will be less waste in feeding. Do not plant too thick, however, or 

 you will reduce the yield of grain, thus decreasing the feeding value 

 of the silage. So much for the subject of raising feeds; but hov/ 

 shall we use the feeds we now have on hand? That is the ques- 

 tion that is up to us today. We cannot raise any clover or cow- 

 pea hay until next summer, and if we did not grow them last sum- 

 mer we will have to depend upon the market for our protein feeds. 

 If you have timothy hay sell it and buy clover or cowpea hay. 

 The clover will not cost you any more than you can get for your 

 timothy, and sometimes not so much. Cowpea hay may cost you a 

 little more. If you cannot buy either clover or cowpea hay of 

 some of your neighbors it will pay you to buy it on the market, even 

 at more per ton than you get for your timothy. Alfalfa hay can 

 be bought at points in Kansas for $10.00 per ton in carload lots. 

 The freight on a carload will make the hay cost you about $15.00 

 per ton. You can afford to pay this price rather than feed tim- 

 othy hay alone for roughage. 



Alfalfa is equal to wheat bran in feeding value, and the bran 

 costs $24.00 per ton. Cottonseed meal and wheat bran may be 

 substituted for part of the corn. They will improve the ration and 



