138 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



the four in equal quantity, sowing one bushel of each per 

 acre, and cutting and feeding when the grain is in the 

 milk. In the last four years we have used these cereals ; 

 and I find the mixture gives the best results, putting all 

 four together on the same field. I find spring rye also good 

 food, but that lasts only a short period, and now we grow 

 spring rye to get good bedding for our cows and good feed 

 for our swine. Other crops will be necessary, but spring 

 rye is excellent for these purposes and should be sown very 

 early. 



There is not very much difierence in appearance or quality 

 between winter rye and spring rye. I do not know as there 

 is any difierence in regard to the yield. I should not feed 

 rye grain at all to cows. I have had no experience in the 

 matter, but it is complained of as being a cause of abortion. 

 I have not fed it to our cows, but have fed it to our swine. 

 I find corn ensilage to be the best and cheapest feed for 

 summer. This fall when we filled our silos we had twenty- 

 five tons of corn ensilage left over after feeding our cows 

 all summer. I do not find any supplemental food in point 

 of cheapness and efiiciency that compares favorably with 

 corn ensilage for feeding in July, August and early Septem- 

 ber. We save labor by that practice. On an ordinary farm 

 it costs a good deal to go to the field daily for green feed in 

 the summer time. You can get no crop to yield so large an 

 amount of nutrients per acre as Indian corn, or with less 

 labor; and cows relish corn ensilage for summer feed. 

 When the pastures are dry we keep the cows in during the 

 day time. They escape the torment of flies, and can get 

 the necessary exercise in the evenings and during the nights. 

 They are fed corn ensilage in the morning and again in the 

 evening before l:)eing turned out. I find that method the 

 most economical way of eking out the pastures. We have 

 fed corn direct from the field as early as July and August, 

 but, as I shall show you in a moment, it is not economical 

 to do so much before the last of August. 



We cut the corn when w^e put it in the silo. Let me say 

 one or two words about the silo ; and I shall show you a 

 sample of ensilage when I get through. We have found the 

 silo a valuable ally, and a means of making money from 



