FORAGE CROPS 117 



and tramping the corn as it comes in. Silage should be 

 tightly pressed down against the sides of the silo and well 

 packed through the centre. When full the top can be cov- 

 ered with rotten straw to keep out the air, or it can be left 

 exposed. A few inches of the top will spoil, but the rest will 

 come out in the winter when it is fed as green and sweet as 

 when it was put in in the fall. 



Silage is a particularly good feed for milch cows, and dairy- 

 men use it a great deal. It is usually fed during the winter 

 and spring months, when there is little other green material. 

 Silage weighs forty pounds to the cubic foot. An acre of good 

 corn will make about ten or twelve tons of silage. 



Other plants like cow-peas, soy-beans, clover, sorghum, peas 

 and oats, and millets have been used for silage, but they have 

 not given as good results as Indian corn. The legumes do 

 fairly well when mixed with corn. They usually ferment too 

 much and produce undesirable acids in the silage. 



Soiling. — Soiling crops are largely used by dairymen, and 

 stockmen who are preparing animals for shows and agricul- 

 tural fairs. A good soiling crop must be svccvlent, that is, 

 full of juice, grow quickly, give a large yield, and suit the 

 taste of the animals. 



Sorghum is one of the best crops for soiling. The ground 

 is prepared as for corn and the sorghum seed sown in rows 

 about thirty inches apart. It takes about a half bushel of 

 seed for an acre. The sorghum is cultivated like corn and 

 grows rapidly after it gets a start. When it begins to head 

 out it is ready to use. As much as is needed is cut and hauled 

 to the animals each day. A good field of sorghum will give 

 ten or twelve tons of green weight per acre. 



Kafir corn takes the place of sorghum, and to some extent 



