158 



IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



When cost of gain is the basis of comparison, the conclusion would be 

 drawn that the more nearly silage replaced hay in the ration, the greater 

 would be the profit. This is true when a small amount of clover is fed, 

 but not so when silage alone is used as roughage. The profit per steer was 

 increased $3.70 by adding silage once daily to clover for roughage; $6.63 

 by adding silage twice daily; and $2.54 by substitution of silage for clover. 

 The reason the profit per steer is not in the same proportion as the sav- 

 ing in cost of gain is that there was a difference in the finish of the cattle. 

 The selling price was not appreciably affected by adding silage once daily 

 while it was increased an average of 15 cents per hundred by the addition 

 of silage twice daily, and reduced 10 cents per hundred by substitution of 

 silage for clover. With these figures as a basis of comparison there would 

 be a saving by the use of corn silage on a carload of twenty steers of $74, 

 $132.60 and $50.80, according to the extent to which silage replaced cIovcf 

 as a roughage. 



Because corn silage has proven so profitable for fattening cattle, its 

 limitations must not be overlooked. It must be remembered that silage 

 is a roughage and not a grain. Because some corn is contained in silage, 

 the mistake is sometimes made of trying to use it for grain instead of 

 roughage. This practice always results unsatisfactorily. Silage is a 

 roughage and must be so considered. Ordinarily it is not necessary to limit 

 the roughage consumed by fattening cattle. The steer will naturally con- 

 sume more grain and less roughage as the fattening period advances. 

 Sometimes, however, it is necessary when silage is very palatable to ar- 

 bitrarily limit the quantity of silage consumed by the cattle in order to 

 induce sufficient grain consumption to insure satisfactory gains. In fact, 

 the greatest benefit from silage in the ration is much more marked during 

 the early part of the fattening period, when roughage comprises a larger 

 proportion of the ration, than later in the fattening process. 



Another limitation of corn silage is that it is not a balanced ration. It 

 Is of somewhat the same nutritive ratio as the corn grain. Therefore 

 when corn silage replaces clover hay, which balances corn, some form of 

 concentrated protein must be added to make a properly balanced ration. 

 The effect of adding corn silage to the ration of corn and clover without 

 cottonseed meal is shown by the following data secured in two trials on 

 the question made at Purdue: 



