STATE DAIRY ASSOCIATION. 545 



ing through sentiment, but believe our profits in dairying and hog feeding 

 are three times as much as they would be in beef raising and hog feeding. 

 For ten years we have milked from ten to twenty-five cows and fattened 

 about 300 hogs a year. The heifer calves are quite an item with us. 

 It is generally conceded that the beef calf is much more profitable than 

 the dairy calf. Our bull calves are worth nothing comparatively. Heifers 

 bring us $25 to $50, at two years old, and cost much less in feed than 

 the beef calf. The above are our reasons for keeping dairy cows on our 

 farm. 



We operate a silo because it is good common sense to do so. It permits 

 us to store our corn and cornstalks while the weather is good and days 

 long. It takes the cornstalks from the ground in time to sow wheat. It 

 stores our feed in the least possible space and most convenient form of 

 feed. It saves husking, shelling and grinding. It don't matter whether 

 it goes into the silo wet or dry, while it does matter much in what con- 

 dition fodder is worked. I have had this season a shredder sitting at 

 my barn for a whole month, the weather permitting us to shred only one- 

 half day. Silage bears neai'ly the same relation to fodder that grass does 

 to hay. Hay has about the same amount of ingredients in the dry matter 

 it contains as grass. But everyone knows that we can not fatten stock 

 on hay, while Ave can on grass. It is a succulent feed and keeps stomach 

 and bowels in a healthy condition. The opinion of the cow in regard to a 

 good feed is worth something. In the winter of 1900 and 1901 we had 

 silage and cowpea hay for our cows. When allowed all the silage they 

 could eat they would not eat the pea hay. Our dry cattle, that did not 

 have silage but all the fodder thej^ wanted, were ravenous for the pea hay. 

 If silage was no better feed than fodder it would still pay to make it. 

 We find it costs about one-half as much to make an acre of corn into silage 

 as into shredded fodder. Let us repeat: "We operate a silo because it is 

 good common sense to do so." 



The Secretary: I would like to ask if there are any persons here using 

 skimmed milk for hog feeding? 



The President: Mr. Hadley can answer that question. 



Mr, Hadley: I am. 



The Secretary: What proportions do you use? 



Mr. Hadley: I don't go according to any specific method. I put in a 

 little shorts, and feed some to different bunches of hogs I have around. I 

 have hogs that I get fancy prices for, and sometimes I think I get as 

 much out of my skimmed milk as I do for the cream. 



The Secretary: Do you find the shorts mix better with the skim milk 

 tlian corn meal? 



