TWELFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART I 498 



of the »nage accounting very largely for the difference In weight. One 

 acre of corn yields from 12 to 16 tons of silage, one acre of meadow yields 

 from 1 to 3 tons of hay. One acre of corn in silage provides as much feed 

 and of the same value as three to five acres of meadow. This is much in 

 favor of the silo, when land is worth $90 to $150 per acre. 



Silage compared with fodder: By fodder we mean fodder with the corn 

 in it. In analysis they are practically the same. The corn in each 

 amounts to 60 per cent of the value of the crop. The stalk and foliage 

 represent 40 per cent of its food value. In the silo this 40 per cent stalk 

 and foliage is preserved palatable and digestible with scarcely anyper cept- 

 ible less of value. In the case of fodder the 40 per cent original value of 

 the stalk and blade at cutting time has been wrought upon by the ele- 

 ments and blown about by the winds until the bleached blades, the missing 

 ones and the large amount of woody fiber of the stalk now rendered un- 

 palatable and indigestible, represent an estimated 20 per cent loss, or 

 one-half their original feeding value. In consequence of this loss, counting 

 out the corn, one acre of silage as forage will feed twice as far as one 

 acre of corn fodder, or, in other words, counting out the corn, one acre of 

 silage as forage is worth twice as much in feeding value as one acre of 

 corn fodder. In silage the 40 per cent original value in stock and foliage 

 are available. In corn fodder 20 per cent is lest. 



Silage is pre-eminently a cattle feed, whether fed for milk or beef. To- 

 day it is the most satisfactory dairy ration, being easily balanced for the 

 production of milk and butter. Compared with fodder, experiment stations 

 report 4 to 12 per cent more milk and fat in favor of silage. Compared 

 with hay they report 10 to 17 per cent more milk and fat in favor of 

 silage. For fattening cattle it is a cooling ration and an appetizer for 

 heavy feeding. 



For stock cattle, it brings them through the winter in the best of health 

 to meet the gra?s strong and ready to make rapid gains. Upon it young 

 cattle will thrive and grow all winter. Silage is good for horses, but is 

 best fed in limited amounts. It is exceHent for sheep, especially for the 

 ewe with lamb at foot. Let the brood sows have all they want of it. We 

 have not lost a sow or a litter of pigs at farrowing time during the five 

 years of our experience of feeding them ensilage during the winter and 

 early spring. 



Silage is a cheap ration. It is estimated that one acre of silage can be 

 raised for $10, can be put in the silo for 35 or 40 cents per ton, a total 

 cost of about $1 per ton and the yield 12 to 16 tons per acre. Thirty or 40 

 pounds will feed a cow one day, a ton will feed her 50 days at the cost of 

 $1. At the same rate, one acre of silage will feed three or four cows 200 

 days. Cheap indeed and grown upon your own farm. Put up all you want 

 on an average farm in two days or les^. It is available all the year around, 

 never spoils, except a small amount on the top, if your silo is right, and 

 keeps from year to year. With the increased amount of feed that may be 

 secured per acre and the preservation of its entire feeding value up until 

 the time feeding it is possible to carry more stock with a silo than with- 

 out it and thereby increase your profits proportionately. On good auth- 



