SILOS AND SILAGE 157 



rule, carry a larger proportion of the plant in the form of stalks 

 and leaves than do northern-grown varieties. 5 



The general practice adopted by farmers in the corn belt is to 

 silo the corn, " ears and all." The entire crop is run through a 

 cutter and filled into the silo, where it is evenly mixed and tramped 

 down carefully, especially along the walls of the silo. Experiments 

 conducted by the author at the Wisconsin station 6 and by Hills at 

 Vermont station 7 showed conclusively that this method of handling 

 the crop is more economical and convenient than to husk, shell, 

 and grind the corn separately and feed it to dairy cows, with silage 

 made from corn fodder or stover. According to the results obtained 

 in the Vermont trials, one acre of corn silage made from the whole 

 corn plant, including ears, is equal in feeding value to one and one- 

 quarter acres of silage made from corn stover fed with the corre- 

 sponding amount cf ground grain. 



The fact that corn silage is relatively low in protein has led to 

 the suggestion that leguminous crops be placed in the silo with the 

 corn. The most successful crops for this purpose are cowpeas or 

 soybeans grown in the corn, both being cut for the silo at the same 

 time. Cowpeas mature at about the same time as corn in the 

 South, and furnish large yields of feed; they make a valuable 

 mixed silage for southern stock farms. Soybeans may be success- 

 fully used for the same purpose and can be grown farther north; 

 grown together with Indian corn, they make a good quality of 

 silage that is considerably richer in protein than corn silage alone 

 (p. 340). 



Sorghum has been highly recommended as a silage crop by the 

 Kansas and Tennessee experiment stations on account of its being 

 more drought-resistant than Indian corn. It will give heavier 

 yields than this crop in regions where the rainfall is too light or too 

 irregular for growing a good crop of corn. The sorghums are less 

 liable to damage by insects than corn, and remain green far into 

 the fall, so that the work of filling the silo may be carried on long 

 after the corn is ripe and the leaves all dried up. Yields of green 

 sorghum of 20 tons per acre or more are reported from Western states, 

 or one-half as much again as a good crop of corn. It is important, 

 in making silage from sorghum that it be harvested late, when the 

 seed has become hard, as it will make a very acid silage if cut at an 

 earlier stage of growth when the stalks contain large amounts of 



5 Farmers' Bulletin 578. 



6 Reports 1891 and 1892. 



7 Report 1892. 



