18 ADVANTAGES OF THE SILO. 



equivalent of 4 tons of hay per acre can easily be pro- 

 duced on an acre of land planted to corn." (Plumb.) 



3. Succulence. Succulent food is Nature's food. We 

 all know the difference between a juicy, ripe apple and 

 the green dried fruit. In the drying of fruit as well as of 

 green fodder water is the main component taken away; 

 with it, however, go certain flavoring matters that do not 

 weigh much in the chemist's balance, but are, of the 

 greatest importance in rendering the food material pal- 

 atable. It is these same flavoring substances which are 

 washed out of the hay with heavy rains, and renders 

 such hay of inferior value, often no better than so much 

 straw, not because it does not contain nearly as much 

 food substances, like protein, fat, starch, sugar, etc. (see 

 Glossary), but because of the substances that render 

 day palatable having been largely removed by the rain. 



The influence of well-preserved silage on the diges- 

 tion and general health of animals is very beneficial, ac- 

 cording to the unanimous testimony of good authorities. 

 It is a mild laxative, and acts in this way very similarly 

 to green fodders. The good accounts reported of the pre- 

 vention of milk fever by the feeding of silage are ex- 

 plained by the laxative influence of the feed. 



4. Uniformity. The silo furnishes a feed of uniform 

 quality, and always near at hand, available at any time 

 during the whole year or winter. No need of fighting thte 

 elements, or wading through snow or mud to haul it from 

 the field; once in the silo the hard work is over, and the 

 farmer can rest easy as to the supply of succulent rough- 

 age for his stock during the winter. An ample supply 

 of succulent feed is of advantage to all classes of ani- 

 mals, but perhaps particularly so in case of dairy cows 

 and sheep, since these animals are especially sensitive 

 to sudden changes in the feed. Also, stock raisers value 

 silage highly on this account, for silage is of special yalue 

 for feeding preparatory to turning cattle on to the watery 

 pasture grass in the spring. The loss in the weight of 

 cattle on being let out on pasture in spring, is often so 



