New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 451 



Summary of Feeding Trials With Corn Silage, 



The feeding trials just reported, although some of them for 

 periods necessarily rather short, were repeated several seasons and 

 the results given are the average from a number of different cows. 

 The indications in general given, therefore, of the value of corn 

 silage can hardly be considered accidental. 



The following average of all the analyses made of fourteen differ- 

 ent lots of corn silage will give an idea of the general composition 

 of the silage fed : 



Per ceut. of moisture 73.66 



Per cent, of ash 1.22 



Per cent, of protein 2.39 



Per cent, of true albuminoids 1.61 



Per cent, of crude fibre 5.31 



Per cent, of N.,free extract 16.12 



Per cent, of crude fats (ether extract) 1.30 



Corn silage has always been very palatable and has been readily 

 eaten at all seasons of the year, and when fed in conjunction with 

 many other attractive fodders. 



In determining the cost of milk for purposes of comparison in the 

 preceding tables the cost of the food eaten was alone considered. 

 The absolute cost of milk or butter production was not given. There 

 would be more variation in the net cost due to different conditions 

 of keeping the cattle and handling the products than in the gross 

 food cost of milk or fat. The mamirial values of the foods were 

 not taken into account, although under favorable conditions the net 

 cost to the farm of milk would be much influenced by the fertiliz- 

 ing values of the foods. There would be however, except where 

 especial attention is given to careful handling of manure, only a 

 small proportion of the total possible amount recovered. There 

 were not great variations in the fertilizing values of the different 

 rations fed. 



None of the rations fed was extreme. All approximated to those 

 that would be generally considered best suited to the foods compos- 

 ing them. At no time was silage fed exclusively, one or two feeds 

 of silage a day with grain, and generally hay, being given. 



When corn silage replaced some other food or the amount of 

 silage in the ration was increased there followed in seven instances 

 a decrease in the cost of milk (five times, the decrease was sliehfl 



