HOME-GROWN DAIRY FOODS FOR WINTER USE 145 



There is but little loss either from decomposition 

 or waste. The amount from both of these sources, 

 in the writer's experience, has not exceeded 5 per 

 cent. The waste from feeding dried corn stover or 

 corn fodder frequently exceeds 25 per cent. 



More milk can be produced from corn silage 

 than from dried corn fodder. Experiments have 

 shown that 12 per cent, more milk can be produced 

 from silage than from corn fodder preserved dry ; 

 the fodder being taken from the same field in both 

 cases ; or, put in another way, corn preserved in the 

 silo is worth $10 more per acre. For these reasons 

 the silo is regarded as almost a necessity in modern 

 dairying. Indian corn is better adapted than any 

 other crop for the silo, and is at present, and is likely 

 to be the main silage crop throughout the country. 

 Combinations of cowpeas and corn make a valuable 

 food, both being sown in the same drill and cut with 

 a corn harvester. Such crops as cowpeas, soy beans 

 and clovers may be preserved in the silo without 

 mixing with other crops, but as a rule the silage 

 from these crops is more acid and has a disagreeable 

 odor. 



The following series of experiments by the author 

 will serve to show the value of certain leguminous 

 crops as substitutes for purchased feeds. 



Alfalfa hay. Alfalfa is one of the plants known 

 as nitrogen collectors and is able to draw its nitro- 

 gen directly from the air. The roots are covered with 

 nodules which contain countless numbers of bac- 

 teria, and it is through these that the plant secures its 

 nitrogen. It is sometimes necessary to supply these 



