THE SILO AND SILAGE 133 



the same amount of grain. He soon found that 

 the steers eating silage did not need the turnips, and 

 discontinued their use as to that lot. The steers 

 were again carefully weighed at the close of the 

 test, which lasted thirty days. The silage-fed steers 

 gained seventy-seven and a quarter pounds a head ; 

 the hay-fed gained a little over thirty-nine pounds, 

 making a difference of thirty-eight pounds. Mr. 

 Devereaux did not report the amount of silage fed 

 to each, but it probably did not exceed fifty pounds 

 daily. The added beef was worth five cents a 

 pound, or $1.90 a head advantage in favor of the 

 silage-fed steers. The total cost of silage per capita 

 was not over $1.00. 



All over the country to-day farmers are using 

 silage as a prominent part of the dairy feed. The 

 general opinion among observing feeders is that the 

 gain in feeding for milk is fully as great as when 

 feeding for beef. The cost of raising silage will 

 not average over $1.25 a ton when economically and 

 properly conducted. Its value as a food cannot be 

 based upon the analysis as reported by the chemist. 

 A great part of its value consists in its ready assim- 

 ilation. It is succulent and aids in the digestion of 

 the hay, grain, and other foods forming the balance 

 of the dairy ration. Its value as an auxiliary to the 

 digestion of other foods is fully as great as its 

 direct food qualities, as shown by chemical analysis. 



The acidulation which occurs in the curing proc- 

 ess aids digestion. Until lately condensed milk fac- 

 tories have refused milk from silage-fed cows. 

 Some factories are now successfully using milk for 

 condensing purposes where silage of good quality 



