SILAGE SOILAGE THE PREPARATION OF FEED 261 



ful in estimating the cost of silage under present conditions in various 

 districts of the country. 



Cost per acre of corn silage 



Minnesota Illinois Ohio New Jersey 



Station,"* Station,* Station," Station," 



201 acres 147 acres 115 acres 80 acres 



Dollars Dollars Dollars Dollars 



Land rental 3 .75 5 .28 3 .81 



Manure or fertilizers 3 .73 1 .46 ) m i c 



Seed 1.06 0.42 0.28| 



Labor growing and cutting crop. . . 5 .19 ) 19 OA IA Q c a? 



Labor filling silo ... 4.12f 12 ' 26 14 63 8 - 27 



Twine 0.36 0.41 0.18} 



Coal 0.42 0.46 0.25V 10.84 



Rental of power for cutter 1 .39 1 .21 1 .36 J 



Interest and depreciation on farm 



machinery 1 .56 1 .76 1 .34 



Miscellaneous 1 . 13 .58 .42 



Total cost per acre 18.98 26~fl 23773 29726* 



Cost per ton 3 .30 3 .65* 



* Not including rent and interest and depreciation on farm machinery. 



Minn. Bui. 145. Ohio Bui. 266. 



" Unpublished data. w N. J. Rpt. 1913, pp. 414-415. 



Carrier of the United States Department of Agriculture, 19 collecting 

 data from 31 Wisconsin and Michigan farms, found that 3.3 to 7.4 tons of 

 corn forage was placed in the silo daily for each man employed. 



The value per ton of corn silage for the various classes of stock is shown 

 in later chapters. For dairy cows, good corn silage is worth about one- 

 third as much as legume hay. (631) In trials with fattening cattle 1 ton 

 of corn silage saved 227 Ibs. corn and other concentrates, and 605 Ibs. 

 legume hay. (775) With fattening lambs 1 ton of silage saved 144 Ibs. 

 corn and 930 Ibs. legume hay. (867) With concentrates at $20 per ton 

 and legume hay at $14 per ton, good silage is thus worth $6.50 per ton 

 for fattening steers and $7.95 per ton for fattening lambs. 



411. Silage on the stock farm. The use of silage has practically 

 revolutionized the feeding of dairy cattle over a large part of the United 

 States, and is fast assuming equal importance for the feeding of beef 

 cattle and sheep. This succulent feed tends to keep the bowels normal, 

 the body tissues sappy, the skin pliant, and the coat glossy, all of which 

 mark the animals as in condition to make the most from their feed. (109) 

 Furnishing at any time of the year a uniform supply of succulence 

 nearly equal in palatability and nutritive effect to the pasturage of 

 early summer, silage is eminently suited to the dairy cow. (629-36) As 

 shown by the trials reviewed in later chapters, thru the wise use of 

 silage for fattening cattle and sheep the cost of meat production may 

 be materially lowered. (774-83, 866-70) Silage is especially valuable for 

 breeding stock and young animals, which would otherwise often be 

 wintered exclusively on dry forage. On too many farms stock cattle 

 barely hold their own during winter. This means that for half of each 



19 U. S. Farmers' Bui. 292. 



