method of handling stover is the difficulty of getting it out 

 of the field during the winter and early spring months 

 without injury to the land and the growing wheat crop, 

 which is often sown in the corn in autumn. , 



Moreover, shredding undoubtedly relieves the farmer of 

 one of the most disagreeable tasks on the farm the hand- 

 ling of the coarse stalks in bad weather, and relief from the 

 necessity of digging this material out of the snow in winter. 

 Likewise, it also makes it possible to feed the material un- 

 der a shed or in the barn, using the portion refused by the 

 stock for bedding, and still have the manure in a condition 

 to be handled easily by a manure spreader. 



In short, the shredding process may be justified on the 

 grounds of greater convenience, rather upon that of the 

 enhancement of its feeding value. 



IV. The Feeding Value of Siloed Stover 

 Without Grain 



Two trials have been made with siloed stover. This 

 should not be confused with silage made from the entire 

 plant, including the ear. 



The object in making this experiment was to ascertain 

 whether the siloing process might in any way increase the 

 palatability of this material to the extent of inducing the 

 animals to eat larger quantities. This was on the theory 

 that with a coarse and unpalatable material like corn stover 

 the animals do not under ordinary circumstances eat 

 enough to sustain them without loss in weight, much less to 

 make a gain, and that if some cheap and satisfactory means 

 might be discovered for increasing the palatability of the 

 ration so that they would consume larger quantities the 

 material might be much more efficiently used by the animal. 



The results show that the animals ate the siloed stover 

 with very little waste in the first trial, consuming practically 

 the entire amount offered. In the second trial, when they 

 were fed somewhat more liberally, they refused 8 per cent, 

 as compared with 42 per cent for whole stover, and 32 per 

 cent for shredded stover. To our great surprise, however, 

 they consumed a smaller amount of dry matter daily w than 



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