160 



DESCRIPTION OF FEEDING STUFFS 



silage per head daily. On account of the larger amount of protein 

 furnished in this feed than in corn silage, less or cheaper concen- 

 trates may be fed in the rations and the cost of production thus 

 decreased. 



Cowpeas and soybeans are used as silage crops to some extent 

 in the South, either mixed with Indian corn (Fig. 32), as previously 

 stated, or grown and siloed separately. The Maryland station 

 found cowpea silage of somewhat higher feeding value than corn 

 silage. The cowpeas should be siloed when the peas are well ma- 



/,: " * :i j; ;i 





Fia. 32. Corn and soybeans grown for silage. When cut and placed in the silo (one 

 ton of soybeans to three tons of corn) this crop makes a very valuable feed for dairy cows. 

 Wisconsin Station.) 



tured, since immature vines make an acid, watery silage. Farmers 

 who have had considerable practical experience with this silage are 

 of the opinion that it has no equal as a feed for cows and sheep; 

 it is also a good hog feed, and is considered greatly superior to pea- 

 vine hay for all these animals. In feeding experiments at the Dela- 

 ware station, six pounds of pea-vine silage fully took the place of 

 one pound of wheat bran, and the product from one acre was found 

 equivalent to two tons of bran. 



Soybeans make silage of a fair quality when siloed alone, and 

 can be more easily handled than cowpeas. The larger late varie- 

 ties yielding heavy crops of forage are to be preferred for the silo. 



