SOILING VS. SILAGE 53 



CHAPTER VIII 

 SOILING vs. SILAGE 



IT has been my experience that the production of 

 milk from soiling crops, supplemented with five 

 or six pounds of hay and six to eight pounds of 

 grain of the proper kind to make a balanced ration, 

 has been practically the same as when a ration of 

 silage has been fed properly balanced with from six 

 to eight pounds of grain. 



The results of the two systems where soiling 

 crops were fed from May 1st to November ist and 

 silage for the remaining six months are shown in 

 the accompanying table. Only those animals which 

 remained in the herd the entire year are included 

 in the record. 



The tabulation shows that during the period of 

 seven years with a herd averaging 23 cows there is 

 a difference in the average yearly milk yield for the 

 herd of 378 pounds, which is in favor of soiling. 

 This difference, however, only amounts to about 

 16 pounds a year for each cow, which is hardly 

 worth considering. The difference in the annual but- 

 ter yield of the herd amounted to about 16.8 pounds 

 in favor of soiling, or less than one pound a year 

 for each animal. The difference in the average per 

 cent, of fat from the two systems is perhaps of most 

 interest, but this proved to be practically the same, 

 being 4.31 per cent, for the soiling period and 4.38 

 per cent, for the silage period. The number of fresh 

 cows each month during the year was quite uniform, 



