7*5 



to the cow sheds ;incl saw UK- HHMI feeding the 1 silage to the cattle. 

 It was brought along the cow sheds in a cart, and uas lilted by the 

 men into the feed-boxes by then" hands. As soon as all in (lu- 

 shed were fed the same men started milking without washing 

 their hands. The first tiling they did was to milk a little on 

 each hand to wet it and then start milking, and every now and 

 again they would dip their lingers in the milk. \Vhcn the milking 

 01 that lot of COWS was finished, a distinct llavour of silage could 

 be smelt in the milk. That lot ot" cattle were turned out and 

 another lot brought in and fed in the same way, but before the 

 men started to milk 1 said they should wash their hands with soap 

 in warm water. This was done and the milk was perfect and 

 without the least trace of the smell of the silage. After that the 

 silage was fed to the cattle with a fork, and the hands always 

 washed before milking ; and now that farmer swears by silage, and 

 has twice obtained the prize for the best silage in the district. No 

 one need have the slightest fear of tainting the milk, no matter 

 how much is fed to the cattle, if the milk is not allowed to stand 

 near the silage and thorough cleanliness and common sense are used. 



The use of silage is far beyond the experimental stage, and on 

 most of the farms in England a silo is considered one of the most 

 useful adjuncts of the farm. In America and Canada it has come 

 into general use, not only for the milch cows but for general 

 fattening, and the results obtained from the use of silage and straw 

 or a little mixed meal have resulted in giving much better results 

 at less cost than any other feed. 



In the report of the Ottawa experimental farms there is a full 

 account of a series of experiments lasting over several years, in 

 which the silage-fed steers gained in weight 35^8 pounds per head 

 more, and cost 2|d. less per day for feeding than those fed on -hay, 

 roots, straw and meal, and on the average for two years the cost 

 for food consumed per 100 pounds increase in live weight was 

 64*64 per cent, greater in the ration of hay, roots, straw and meal 

 than it was in the ration for silage, straw and meal. 



The actual rations were : No. 2, consisting of cut hay 20 lbs. r 

 roots 40 Ibs., straw (cut) 5 Ibs., oil-cake 2 Ibs., ground peas 2 Ibs.. 

 ground barley 2 Ibs.; total, 71 Ibs. 



No. 3, the silage ration consisted of corn silage 50 Ibs., straw 

 (cut) 5 Ibs., oil-cake 2 Ibs., ground peas 2 Ibs., ground barley 2 Ibs.; 

 total, 61 Ibs., thus the gain in feeding the latter ration for every 100 

 pounds the beasts put on was 3536 per cent., or a saving of ^35 

 143. in every .100 spent. In the face of facts like these the wonder is 

 that the use of silage has not become universal in this colony, 

 where there are such long and dry summers, and such a scarcity of 

 feed for at least four or live months every year, and at the present 

 price of cattle and sheep it would pay to top them up on a similar 

 ration, provided the farmer grows all the feed himself, letting mai/.e 

 and meal take the place of oil-cake. 



