THIRTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XII 633 



by distributing his silage evenly and packing it tightly to prevent mold. 

 If mold occurs, he must take pains that neither his horses nor sheep eat 

 it, and to be on the safe side, he should not feed it to his cattle. 



"We suspect that there are at least 50,000 farmers in Iowa whom it would 

 pay to put up silos this year. Many of these men know nothing about 

 silcs or silage, and it is ridiculous for us to attempt to tell them all about 

 it in one short article. What we want these men to do is carefully to con- 

 sider the silo. We want them to send to the Iowa Station at Ames, to the 

 Nebraska Station at Lincoln, to the Missouri Station at Columbia, to the 

 Illinois Station at Urbana, to the Wisconsin Station at Madison, and to 

 the United States Department of Agriculture at V/ashington, D. C, for 

 all the bulletins available on silos and silage. We want them to write the 

 different manufacturers of silos and silo machinery asking for literature. 

 They should ask definitely for the experience of their neighbors. Above 

 all, they should not be needlessly alarmed by the vague rumors which 

 float around the country and which either grossly exaggerate the merits 

 of silage, or give it a very bad name. 



CARE OF THE CALF FROM THE PEED LOT TO THE BUTCHER. 



BY H. J. HESS. 



(Before the Iowa Aberdeen Angus Breeders' Association.) 

 With such masters of the art of breeding and feeding as Messrs. 

 Escher and Davis, I am sure my work has been well begun. As I am to 

 start with the work of preparing these calves for the butcher at weaning- 

 time, I will take it for granted that they have been taught to eat a grain 

 ration of proper mixture and roughage suited to their needs, while nursing 

 their dams. This important part of the handling of a calf before weaning- 

 time will enable it to keep right on gaining, and it will not experience a 

 set-back at weaning time. The main thing is to keep the calves right 

 on growing, and not allow them to lose the calf-fat. They must have a 

 grain ration that will maintain the same smooth form and mellow flesh, 

 the same coat of hair and fine, loose hide that so nicely covered them, at 

 weaning time. To do this requires the careful attention of the feeder. 

 The weaning time comes in the autumn, when conditions are ideal for this 

 work. The golden grain has been harvested and the granaries well filled. 

 The barn has been filled with the new-mown hay. The silo has been 

 filled to the brim. A part of the corn is in the shock, and the jemainder 

 of the crop is fast being stored in the cribs. With the crops of a well- 

 managed farm at hand, there is but little need for other feeds, with the 

 exception of a small amount of oil meal. This will largely fill the place 

 of the milk supply that has been cut off, and will help to balance up the 

 other feed. I like to feed calves oats and shelled corn, equal parts, with 

 about a pound of oil meal per head per day, with all the good clover hay 

 they will clean up, giving them the grain three times a day, and all they 

 will eat and clean up in thirty minutes after each feeding time. I do not 

 advise grinding for calves until they have reached the age of twelve 

 raonths. At this time it may pay to crush the corn, and I have for a good 



