THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VI. 237 



whose bodies need this kind of feed to put them in the best condition for 

 utilizing whatever other food may bo furnished them. Silage is especially 

 valuable for young and growing cattle. The Gazette strongly urges its 

 beef-producing readers to consider the wisdom of adding the silo to their 

 exjHipment for economically conducting their business. 



THE ILLINOIS EXPERIMENT STATION ON SILAGE. 



Wall-aces' 'Farmer. 



We have intimated that the beef breeder would sooner or later, and 

 the sooner the better, have to consider the question as to whether or -^ot 

 it will pay him to feed part of his corn in the shape of a silage. As aid- 

 ing him in this investigation, we publish the conclusions from an experi- 

 ment conducted at the Illinois Station by Professor Mumford. These con- 

 clusions are not to be read over but to be studied: 



"There are nine distinct advantages in a system of silage feeding over 

 • hat of shock corn in wintering calves intended for beef producing. To 

 offset this there are three disadvantages. The advantages are that, silage 

 is taken off the ground when the soil is dry and cannot be damaged, that 

 'he manure is saved, that the quality of the feed is not affected by bad 

 weather, that calves are in better thrift and flesh in the spring, that more 

 rapid gains can be secured, that steers can be fed without hogs in case of 

 cholera, without considerable loss; that more pounds of beef can be pro- 

 duced per acre with silage, that a larger proportion of the meat produced 

 is beef; that corn may be harvested earlier in the season. 



"The disadvantages are that a greater acreage of crops other than 

 corn is needed to supplement silage than shock corn, that warmer quarters 

 must be provided silage fed steers and that silage feeding involves more 

 <apital and labor."' 



SUMMARY OF THE TEST. 



"i. The results secured in this experiment were from a yield of ten 

 ions of corn silage per acre and 32 bushels of shelled corn and 1.68 tons 

 of corn stover per acre. 



"2. Of the 50.60 tons of corn put into the silo, but 43.09 tons were 

 available for feeding, there being a loss of 7.51 tons. Two tons, or about 

 four per cent were spoiled silage taken from the top of the silo and 5.51 

 tons or 10.88 per cent were shrinkage in gross weight. 



"3. The gross weight of the silage available for feeding was about 

 three times as great as that of shock corn. 



"4. In the feeding of 5.33 acres of silage to calves 8.69 acres of crops 

 other than corn were used. In the feeding of 5.33 acres of shock corn to 

 calves 5.68 acres of crop other than corn were used. This difference may 

 or may not be found unavoidable. 



"5. It requires a third longer time to feed an acre of corn silage than 

 an acre of shock corn. 



