174 A YEAR IN AGRICULTURE 



tie feeding has increased in marked degree during the past 

 few years. The foodstuffs of vegetable origin may be included 

 under four classes : forage crops, roots and tubers, seeds and 

 grains, and by-products of various kinds. Silage is a com- 

 paratively recent food in this country. It is the name given 

 to a green fodder preserved in the silo.* 



Indian corn is cut at about the time when three-fourths of 

 the kernels are dented, then ground stalk, kaf, ear, and 

 all and stowed away in the silo. This makes a most valu- 

 able and economical food for dairy cattle, especially if fed 

 with alfalfa. 



A good balanced ration for a milch cow is 8 pounds of 

 hay, 30 pounds of silage, and 8 pounds of grain, daily. If 

 the silage is not obtainable, then the following is a good 

 substitute: 20 pounds of hay, 6 pounds of grain, 3 pounds 

 of dried beets. Another ration might be 3 pounds corn-meal, 

 2.5 pounds bran, 1 pound cottonseed meal, 15 pounds clover 

 hay, 7.5 pounds corn stover. This ration contains 22.8 pounds 

 dry matter, 2.08 'pounds protein, and 12.5 pounds carbohy- 

 drate and fat, and has a nutritive ratio of 1 :6. 



Good rations for meat production in cattle are as fol- 

 lows : 8 pounds alfalfa hay, 12 pounds corn-meal, 5 pounds 

 ground oats; or, 6 pounds clover hay, 12 pounds corn, 10 

 pounds silage, 2 pounds cottonseed meal. The amounts given 

 above are figured for 1,000 pounds live weight. Of course, 

 it is not to be inferred from all this detail of figures that 

 the farmer is to weigh out every day the rations for each 



*Silos are tall, round structures used for preserving green fodder 

 for winter use. 



