446 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECOtlD. 



Mangels and sugar beets vs. silage; yield, cost, and feeding 

 value, H. J. Waters and li. J. Weld {Pennsylvania Sta. Bnl. 26, 

 pp. l!>). 



Synop,sis.—A comparison of the yields of total and digestible I'ood materials per acre 

 of mangcl-wnrzels, sugar beets, and green corn fodder; of the cost of growing 

 these crops, and of feeding roots and silage to milch cows. The corn fodder 

 furnished about one and one-half times as much dry matter as the roots, and 

 considerable more digestible material. The cost of growing the roots was 

 more than double that of the corn. In the feeding trial with 10 cows the lot 

 fed silane produced more milk and l>utter than the other lot, the superiority 

 being about .5 per cent. The silage lot made the larger gain in weight. 



This experiment naturally divides itself into 2 parts — the growing- of 

 tiie crops and the feeding trial. 



Growing the cropH. — Eighteen twentieth- acre plats of ftiirly uniform 

 land (upland clay limestone) were plowed and harrowed alike, and 200 

 lbs. of dried blood, 100 lbs. of muriate of potash, and 200 lbs. of dissolved 

 South Carolina rock applied per acre. May 17 3 plats were planted to 

 Brack Boston Market corn, 2 plats to Leaming corn in rows 3 ft. apart, 

 with a kernel every in., 7 were planted to Long Ked mangel-wurzels, 

 and G to Imperial sugar beets, in rows 32 in. apart, allowing a plant 

 every 6 or 7 in. A good even stand was secured by thinning or by 

 filling in vacancies. 



" Shallow, level, and clean culture was given, and as much of it done with the 

 horse iioe as possible to make the estimates of cost of cultivation more nearly com- 

 parable with held practice. 



"The beets were hand-weeded twice, thinned and cultivated with the horse hoe 

 6 times. The corn was cultivated with the horse hoe ,5 times." 



The corn was cut for ensiling either when in milk or as it was pass- 

 ing out of the dough state. The yields and the composition of the 

 crops are given, and from these the yield of food ingredients per 

 acre is calculated as follows : 



Yield of dry maficr and Us componenta per acre. 



''No attempt was made to produce large yields from any of the crops grown, but 

 rather to compare the yields under good average conditions." 



