144 THE BUSINESS OF DAIRYING 



CHAPTER III 



HOME-GROWN DAIRY FOODS FOR 

 WINTER USE 



GENERALLY speaking, the nearer we can approach 

 to growing all the feeds on the farm the more money 

 we shall make. This is particularly true of the 

 coarse foods, all of which should be grown on the 

 farm. Commercial feeds are expensive ; in fact, in 

 the past few years, many of them have been too high 

 priced for the dairyman who wholesales his milk for 

 2 / / 2 to 3 cents per quart to use with profit. Besides 

 growing the corn crop for the silo, there are many 

 crops which can be grown and made into hay, and 

 which are rich in the important nutrient protein, 

 hence will, in a large measure, take. the place of fine 

 feeds in balancing the winter ration. 



Corn is one of the most important home-grown 

 crops and should be preserved in the silo and form 

 the basis of the winter ration, and may also compose 

 a large part of the summer ration as well, if desired. 

 Some of the reasons why silage should form the 

 basis of the winter ration may be mentioned briefly 

 as follows: 



It is succulent, palatable and digestible, and 

 closely resembles the green forage of summer. 



It is prepared for use at small cost, the average 

 expense of harvesting and putting it in the silo does 

 not usually exceed 75 cents per ton. 



It requires comparatively small space for storage. 



It is ready for immediate use and requires but lit- 

 tle labor to place it before the animals. 



