CORN SILAGE COMPARED TO ROOTS. 183 



what a well-known English writer, R. Henry Rew, says 

 as to the comparative value of roots and silage, from the 

 standpoint of an English farmer: 



"The root crop has, for about a century and a half, 

 formed the keystone of arable farming; yet it is the root 

 crop whose position is most boldly challenged by silage. 

 No doubt roots are expensive say 10 per acre as the 

 cost of producing an ordinary crop of turnips and pre- 

 carious, as the experience of the winter of 1887-8 has 

 once more been notably exemplified in many parts of the 

 country. In a suggestive article in the Farming World 

 Almanac for 1888, Mr. Primrose McConnell discusses the 

 question: 'Are Turnips a Necessary Crop?' and sums 

 up his answer in the following definite conclusion: 



" 'Everything, in short, is against the use of roots, 

 either as a cheap and desirable food for any kind of live 

 stock, as a crop suited for the fallow break, which cleans 

 the land at little outlay, or as one which preserves or 

 increases the fertility of the soil.' 



"If the growth of turnips is abandoned or restricted 

 ensilage comes in usually t9 assist the farmer in supply- 

 ing their place. * * * When one comes to compare 

 the cultivation of silage crops with that of roots, there 

 are two essential points in favor of the former. One is 

 their smaller expense, and the other is their practical 

 certainty. The farmer who makes silage can make cer- 

 tain of his winter store of food, whereas he who has only 

 his root crop may find himself left in the lurch at a time 

 when there is little chance of making other provision." 



We have accurate information as to the yields and 

 cost of production of roots and corn silage in this country 

 from a number of American Experiment Stations. This 

 shows that the tonnage of green or succulent feed per 

 acre is not materially different in case of the two crops, 

 generally speaking. But when the quantities of dry mat- 

 ter harvested in the crop are considered, the corn has 

 been found to yield about twice as much as the ordinary 

 root crops. According to data published by the Pennsyl- 



