398 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



silage crop like Indian corn, allowed to mature and reach its 

 maximum growth and handled in a wholesale waj by improved 

 appliances, not only is the expense per feeding unit nuich 

 less than in soiling crops, but the acre product is brought up 

 close to the limit, and the rental for land is thereby raised. 



Sunmier silage appears to have another marked advantage 

 over green forage, in its uniform sui)ply and <|uality. Prop- 

 erly cured silage from ripe corn is very uniform in quality, 

 and its use favors a very regular and uniform milk How. 

 Tins is not a preconceived notion of " book farmers," but 

 has been substantiated by experience. On the other hand, 

 green crops are not only fed at a considerable expense for 

 labor, but they fluctuate in su})ply and vary greatly in 

 quality. One part of a field may be infested by weeds not 

 relished by cows, which when fed cause a marked shrinkage 

 in milk. Seasons vary, the weather is bad, it is incon- 

 venient to take time for getting in green feed, and other 

 reasons work against its practical value. 



The use of silage in summer is an approach to perennial 

 winter feeding, — a practice that is growing more and more 

 common, but which needs no exposition in this paper. 



That pastures have grown poorer in many sections appears 

 to be a common opinion. Their uncertainty and irregularity 

 of production are largely responsible for the demand of this 

 discussion. The system that provides for supplementing our 

 short pasturage will incidentally produce great improvement 

 in the pastures themselves. By the use of supplementary 

 forage, pastures may carry larger numbers of cattle which will 

 check wild growth, and enrich the soil with droppings from 

 additional feed. The farmer himself will be more progres- 

 sive, and will manage his pastures with greater skill. Thus 

 the prosperity of the farmer, which is the concern of the 

 Board of Agriculture and of agricultural education, will be 

 increased. 



