Advantages of the Silage System. 423 



in our cattle. The demand of the mai'kets abroad is for cattle 

 maturing- at about three years of age, and the South African market 

 is rapidly developing in the same direction. In a very short time the 

 only cattle which will be of economical value for meat will be the 

 breeds which mature at the age of three years or under, and the 

 market for old, heavy cattle will be limited to the supply of meat for 

 local trade. 



Added Value to Dairying. 



The feeding of more silage would prove a great advantage to the 

 dairy industry. At present, judged by creamery returns, tiie mini- 

 mum winter supply is only approximately one-seventh of the maxi- 

 mum summer quantity. The prices offered by creameries for milk 

 and cream is largely determined by the amount of the winter supply 

 or by the ratio it bears to the summer yield. The high overhead 

 charges during the winter season, when the supply is short, have to be 

 met by a corresi)onding reduction in the prices paid for butter-fat and 

 milk for the year. Any increase in such winter quantity and the 

 corresponding decrease in the ratio between summer and winter 

 quantities would tend to increase the price paid by the creameries 

 throughout the year. 



A Great Increase in the Value of Live Stock. 



Allowing for the cattle which do not suffer as a result of deficiency 

 of winter feed, for native-owned cattle (for which one cannot expect 

 silage to be provided until the Europeans have adopted it more 

 generally), and allowing also for old c'lttle, it is considered that it 

 would be fair to assume that half of the cattle population of the 

 country suffer through deficient winter feeding, and that on the 

 average these would be worth £1 more per head per annum than 

 under present conditions if they were provided with suificient succulent 

 and nutritious food. Half the number of cattle given in the 1920 

 Census is approximately 2,500,000, and at £1 per head the increased 

 annual value as a result of feeding with silage would be £2,500,000. 



With a similar calculation for sheep, excluding goats, and at an 

 estimated annual increase and prevention of losses obtainable by 

 provision of feed when scarce, especially in time of drought, at 2s. 6d. 

 per head, the additional annual increment would be at least 

 £1,500,000. 



These calculations are on a very conservative basis and may be 

 regarded as minimum figures. The total, however, is considerably 

 over £4,000,000, and this, as an annual increment spread over 80,000 

 farmers, is equivalent to £50 per farmer per year, an amount which 

 at the present time most farmers would be very g4ad to have added to 

 their incomes. 



The census returns for the last ten years indicate that the annual 

 increase in the number of cattle has not exceeded 4| per cent. This 

 is very low for a young country not yet fully stocked, and compares 

 unfavourably with the percentage increase for other countries. 

 Canada during the same period shows an annual increase of 8 per cent, 

 and New Zealand 6A per cent. If silage were available every year no 

 doubt the increase for South Africa would become much bigger than 

 ^'t is at i)resent. 



