204 FEEDS AND FEEDING, ABKIDGED 



ton, including land rental, cost of manure or fertilizers, seed, labor 

 and other expenses in growing and harvesting the crop, as well as in- 

 terest and depreciation on machinery. For winter feeding, silage is 

 far cheaper than roots and as efficient, except possibly in the case of 

 animals being fitted for shows and milch cows on forced test. In 

 summer silage furnishes succulent feed with, less bother and expense 

 than do soiling crops. 



2. When crops are properly ensiled, less of the nutrients are wasted 

 thru the fermentations which take place than are lost when the forage 

 is cured as hay or dry fodder. 



3. Silage, even from plants with coarse stalks, such as corn and the 

 sorghums, is eaten practically without waste. On the other hand, 

 from 20 to 35 per ct. of dry corn fodder, even if of good quality, is 

 usually wasted. The use of silage thus permits the keeping of more 

 stock on a given area of land. 



4. Crops may be ensiled when the weather is unfavorable for curing 

 them into dry fodder. In some sections of the South the corn crop 

 can not be preserved satisfactorily as grain and stover on account of 

 the dampness and also because rodents and weevils ruin the stored 

 grain. Ensiling the crop overcomes both difficulties. 



5. Weedy crops, which make poor hay, may make silage of good 

 quality, the ensiling process killing practically all weed seeds. 



6. The product from a given area can be stored in less space as 

 silage than as dry forage. A cubic foot of hay in the mow, weighing 

 about 5 lbs., contains approximately 4.3 lbs. of drj^ matter. An aver- 

 age cubic foot of corn silage from a 30-foot silo, weighing about 39.6 

 lbs., will contain 10.4 lbs. dry matter, or nearly 2.5 times as much. 



7. Ensiling the corn crop clears the land early so it ma}^ be prepared 

 for another crop. 



Crops for the silo. — The suitability of the leading crops for silage 

 has been discussed in the preceding chapters. Indian corn is the best 

 silage plant, sorghos and the grain sorghums ranking next in value 

 and importance. Green cereals are fairly satisfactory for silage, if 

 ensiled before the stems become woody, and if the cut forage is well 

 tramped to force the air out of the hollow stems. 



The legumes have proved disappointing for silage. Better results 

 have been secured with alfalfa and clover when they are ensiled with 

 other plants which carry more sugar, such as green rye, wheat, corn, 

 or sorghum. Whenever these legumes can be cured into satisfactory 

 hay, there is little need of ensiling them, for more reliable silage crops^ 

 may usually be gro^A-n. When ensiled with corn or the sorghums, 

 cowpeas and soybeans produce silage of high quality, rich in protein. 

 The refuse of pea canneries makes a silage much relished by stock. 



