46 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 120 



A study of this table shows that the ewes receiving the corn silage 

 gained slightly in weight while the ewes receiving the corn stover 

 lost some in weight. There was very little difference in the average 

 daily allowance of grain and clover. During the first year, the 

 lambs in the lot receiving corn stover averaged a little heavier at 

 birth (.73 Ibs.) than did those in Lot III. The ewes in Lot III pro- 

 duced a higher per cent of lambs which would account for their 

 lower average weight. The first year's results show that the lambs 

 in Lot IV (corn stover, clover hay and grain) made slightly greater 

 gains. This small difference again can be accounted for by the 

 greater per cent of lambs in Lot III. The second year's results show 

 that corn silage proved more efficient than corn stover. The lot of 

 ewes receiving silage produced a higher per cent of lambs, which 

 averaged heavier and made better gains than the lambs dropped by 

 the ewes receiving the corn stover. This difference is not large, and 

 taking an average of the two years' work the rations are of about 

 equal value. The corn silage proved slightly superior as a larger per 

 cent of lambs was raised in this lot. Greater care must be taken in 

 feeding silage than stover because of the dangers of mouldy silage. 



Tables III, IV and V show that there is not a great difference in 

 the value of corn stover and corn silage when it is used to reduce the 

 consumption of the more expensive feeds such as grain and clover hay. 

 The corn silage proved slightly superior in all cases. The two dis- 

 advantages attending the feeding of silage are, first, a flock of 50 to 

 150 ewes cannot use enough silage to make the silo a profitable in- 

 vestment unless sufficient stock of other classes are available which 

 may also be fed silage; second, mouldy and extremely sour silage is a 

 dangerous feed for sheep. 



On many farms where much of the corn stover is wasted it could 

 be utilized as one of the roughnesses for breeding ewes if fed in limited 

 quantities. 



FEEDING CORN SILAGE TO BREEDING EWES. 



The question of feeding silage to the breeding flock has become an 

 important one in the last few years. Especially, are the methods of 

 silage feeding of interest to those who have sufficient live stock to 

 economically use a silo. In Table VI the results of the various meth- 

 ods of feeding silage tested at the Missouri Experiment Station 

 are presented. 



