Concrete Silos 13 



of animals. Corn silage comes the nearest to having 

 all of the properties of good green grass of any of the 

 feeds we have. We can have it in the winter time, too, 

 when grass is gone and other feeds are dry. "We can 

 have it in the summer time when the grass is short in 

 dry periods of drought. Silage, above all other feeds, 

 enables the dairyman to maintain almost unbroken 

 summer conditions, conditions under which the maxi- 

 mum amount of milk and butter is produced. 



A feed containing a large amount of water in the 

 form of natural plant juices is not only more easily 

 digested, but is also more palatable and, besides, serves 

 the useful purpose of keeping the whole system of the 

 animal in good condition. A silage-fed animal is rarely 

 troubled with constipation or other digestive disturb- 

 ances, the coat is noticeably sleek and soft, and the 

 skin is soft and pliable. 



No rough feed is more palatable than good corn 

 silage. Sometimes, however, a cow will not eat silage 

 readily until she has (acquired a taste for it; this may 

 require several days. But silage is not peculiar in this 

 respect, for it has been observed that range horses or 

 cattle shipped into the corn belt refuse corn the first 

 time it is offered to them. The quality of palatability 

 is of great importance, as it induces a large consump- 

 tion and stimulates the secretion of digestive juices. 



The advantage of silage in the dairy industry was 

 at one time put into a forcible statement by W. B. 

 Barney, state dairy commissioner of Iowa. Among 

 other things he said: 



The dairy cow is the most economical producer of 

 human food on the farm if fed and cared for in an in- 

 telligent manner. The milk of a cow that produces 

 10,000 pounds yearly contains 8,710 pounds of water, 



