SILAGE FOR HORSES. 175 



follows: "Last year we had nearly two hundred horses, 

 including Clydesdales, standard-bred trotters, and Shet- 

 land .ponies. They were wintered entirely upon straw 

 and corn silage, and this in face of the fact that I had 

 read a long article in a prominent horse journal caution- 

 ing farmers from the use of silage, and citing instances 

 where many animals had died, and brood mares had 

 aborted from the liberal use of corn silage. 



"Desiring to test 'the matter to the fullest extent, 

 our stallions and brood mares, as well as all the young 

 stock, we fed two full rations of silage daily, and one 

 liberal ration of wheat or oat straw. The result with 

 our brood mares was most phenomenal, for we now 

 have to represent every mare that was in foal on the 

 farm, a weanling, strong and vigorous, and apparently 

 right in every way, with only one exception, where the 

 colt was lost by accident. Of course there may have been 

 something in the season more favorable than usual, but 

 this was the first year in my experience .when every colt 

 dropped on the farm was saved." 



The following experience as to the value of silage 

 as a food for horses and other farm animals comes from 

 the Ohio Station: "Our silo was planned and filled with 

 special reference to our dairy stock, but after opening 

 the silo we decided to try feeding the silage to our horses, 

 calves and hogs. The result was eminently satisfactory. 

 We did not find a cow, calf, horse, colt, or hog that re- 

 fused to eat, or that did not eat it with apparent relish, 

 not only for a few days, but for full two months. The 

 horses were given one feed of twenty pounds each per 

 day in place of the usual amount of hay, for the period 

 above named, and it was certainly a benefit. Their appe- 

 tites were sharpened, and the healthfulness of the food 

 was further manifest in the new coat of hair which came 

 with the usual spring shedding. The coat was glossy, 

 the skin loose, and the general appearance was that of 

 horses running upon pasture." 



Doctor Bailey states that silage has as good an effect 



