172 HOW TO FEED SILAGE. 



No. 11. Clover silage, 30 Ibs.; dry fodder corn, 10 Ibs.; 



oat straw, 4 Ibs.; wheat bran, 4 Ibs.; malt sprouts, 



2. Ibs.; oil meal, 2 Ibs. 

 No. 12. Clover silage, 40 Ibs.; hay, 10 Ibs.; roots, 20 Ibs.; 



corn meal, 4 Ibs.; ground oats, 4 Ibs. 



The preceding rations are only intended as approxi- 

 mate guides in feeding dairy cows. Every dairy farmer 

 knows that there are hardly two cows that will act in 

 exactly the same manner and will need exactly the same 

 amount of feed. It is then important to adapt the quan- 

 tities and kinds of feed given to the special needs of the 

 different cows; one cow will fatten on corn meal, where 

 another will be able to eat and make good use of two 

 or three quarts of it. In the same way some cows will 

 eat more roughage than others and do equally well on it 

 as those that get more of the food in the form of more 

 concentrated and highly digestible feeding stuffs. The 

 only safe rule to go by is to feed according to the 

 different needs of the cows; to study each cow and find 

 out how much food she can take care of without laying 

 on flesh, and how she responds to the feeding of foods 

 of different character, like wheat bran and corn meal, 

 for instance. The specimen rations given in the preced- 

 ing can, therefore, only be used to show the average 

 amount of common feeds which a good dairy cow can 

 take in and give proper returns for. 



The popularity of the silo with owners of dairy cattle 

 has increased very greatly, says Prof. Plumb. Few owners 

 of stock of this class, who have properly-built silos, and 

 well-preserved silage, would discard silage as an adjunct 

 to feeding. Silage certainly promotes milk flow. One 

 great argument in favor of its use lies in the cheapness 

 of production per ton, and the ability to store and secure 

 a palatable, nutritious food in weather conditions that 

 would seriously injure hay or dry fodder. 



There is one important point that owners of milk 

 cattle should bear in mind, and that is when the silo Is 

 first opened only a small feed should be given. In chang- 



