404 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



lies in the stalk, leaves and husks, the remainder in the ear. There- 

 fore if only the ears are gathered, much of the remaining 40 per 

 cent, of the crop remains in the field to bother the farmer in pre- 

 paring his seedbed for the following year. As corn should be cut for 

 the silo before the lower leaves are lost there is practically no waste. 

 About twice the amount of dry matter can be stored in the form of 

 silage as corn fodder. A cubic foot of hay in the mow contains 

 about 4.3 pounds of dry matter, Avliile a cubic foot of silage con- 

 tains 8.9 pounds of dry matter, A cubic foot of space in the silo is 

 therefore worth more than twice an equal space in the mow. 



The digestive organs of animals that chew their cud are so 

 formed as to require comparatively juicy and bulky feeds. The cow 

 cannot thrive on dry feed as well as the horse. The ideal food for 

 the dairy cow is green pasture but for a number of months during 

 the year she is deprived of this feed. The best substitutions for green 

 pasture are root crops and corn silage. As silage yields twice as 

 much dry matter per acre as roots and does not require as much 

 labor, silage is by far the more economical wherever corn can be 

 raised. Silage has a laxative effect upon the animal and aids in 

 maintaining a healthy and vigorous condition. 



The population of the United States is doubling every thirty 

 years, which means that the farms will gradually become smaller 

 and that more feed must be produced per acre. The high price of 

 land also demands that more intensive methods must be used to 

 obtain a dividend in proportion to the value of the soil. Practice 

 tells us that one acre of corn placed in the silo will yield enough 

 feed to supply a milk cow 40 pounds of silage for 500 days or 4 

 cows 125 days. 



Another important factor is the reduction in storage space of 

 silage compared to that required for hay. One ton of clover hay 

 occupies 400 cubic feet while 8 tons of silage can be placed in. the 

 same space. The clover hay contains 886 pounds of digestible nutri- 

 ents while the silage contains 2,064 pounds. Thus the corn silage 

 occupying the same space as the clover hay contains two and a half 

 times the digestible nutrients. 



Silage as a milk producer compares very favorably with the other 

 more concentrated and more expensive feeds. Being a very succu- 

 lent and palatable feed it can be very aptly termed the great substi- 

 tute for pasture in the corn belt. We all look forward to the in- 

 creased milk flow when the cows are turned to pasture in the spring 

 after having received nothing but dry feed for six months. The 



