CLOVER HAY 63 



effect of sweet silage on the milk secretion see p. 26). Horses also like 

 sweet silage and digest it well. Rations may consist of 16 pounds sweet 

 silage and 6 pounds of hay with 2 pounds of oats mixed with chaff (cut 

 straw) per day for a work horse. Sweet silage for swine and poultry 

 should be made from young, tender growth, rich in clover. It is to be 

 fed chaffed, sprinkled with water and mixed with beets or cooked pota- 

 toes. 



Sour silage. (For preparation and characteristics see p. 27.) The 

 digestible protein and starch value of sour ensilage made of grass equal 

 0.9 and 8.0, potato tops 0.3 and 8.0, beet leaves 0.7 and 8, sugar beet 

 leaves and tops 0.2 and 9.5 per cent respectively. Cattle like sour silage, 

 and if the change from dry feed is made gradually they do well on it. 

 Dry feed must be given as supplementary roughage. When first given 

 the silage is very laxative. Horses and sheep are also said to like it. 

 Daily rations for cattle may be as high as 30 to 40 pounds. Milk cows 

 should receive this feed after being milked and not during milking time. 

 YearHngs receive 20 to 40 pounds per 1,000 pounds live weight; fatten- 

 ing steers 30 to 40 pounds at first, later 20 to 36 pounds. As a rule silage 

 is not fed to horses, but where digestion is impaired or inactive it acts 

 as a mild laxative (5 to 8 pounds per day). Sheep take 2 to 4 pounds 

 per day. 



b. Clover Hay, Lupine Hay, etc. 



To prevent loss of nutrients, palatability and tenderness, clover should 

 be cut before blossom. Only in case of white, crimson and hybrid clover, 

 serradella and esparcet, would it be profitable to cut a little later. 



The nutritive value of clover hay is somewhat higher than that of 

 meadow hay. The digestible protein content and starch value range 

 between 4 to 7 and 18.5 to 35.5 per cent respectively. From a hygienic 

 standpoint clover liay, as an exclusive feed, is not desirable. Too large 

 rations are also to be avoided, especially for horses, because digestive 

 derangements, subacute cerebritis and founder may result. Sheep also 

 have become affected with subacute cerebritis after feeding liberally on 

 clover hay that was harvested during wet weather (Oppemiann). Vetch 

 hay, which is reputed to be a good vermifuge for ascarids, and to be 

 apt to cause constipation, is most dangerous in this respect. Red, crim- 

 son and hybrid clover belong to the same class, while serradella and 

 spurge, even when fed in large quantities, are said to be free from this 

 objectionable feature. These forages are all excellent part rations for 

 milk cows, as in fact for all cattle and for horses, in amounts equal to 

 one-eighth of the hay ration. Colts should not have clover hay during 

 the first year but should be given good meadow hay. 



Special care must be observed in feeding lupine hay. Lupines, as 

 already mentioned, are rich in protein and thrive on poor, sandy soils, 

 but sometimes they contain large quantities of a poisonous principle, 

 lupinotoxin (icterogen or lupine alkaloids — lupanin, lupinin, lupinidin — 

 spartein, oxylupanin), which may, even when present in small quantities, 



