July, 1933] Roughage Production in New Hampshire 



tillable area used for silage resulted in an increased carrying capacity 



of .2 catile unit ptT aere oF tillage land. 



Table 4. Influence of corn in rotation on yield of hay. 



Rotation 



Acres hay 

 per farm 



Hay yield 

 per acre 



With corn 

 Without corn 



46.4 

 44.4 



1.62 

 1.45 



It is interesting to note in Table 5 that from an enterprise cost 

 point of view with assumed rates for labor, the cost per acre of rough- 

 age increased greatly with the increased per cent, of tillage land in 

 silage, but that even under this comparison the cost of roughage per 

 cattle unit tended to be lower with increased silage acreage. In other 

 words, even though the operator could use his time and his team on the 

 road at 40 cents an hour for his own labor and 20 cents an hour for 

 each horse, he could still afford to grow silage. 



The actual advantage of growing silage will, of course, depend on 

 the conditions on the particular farm, the number of cows desirable, 

 the method of replacement, the season of production of milk, the price 

 received, the soil conditions and the size of the farm, the amount of 

 labor available, the equipment already present on the farm or readily 

 available in the community. In fact, all the factors of production are 

 involved. There is the possibility of increasing the gross sales from a 

 farm by 20 per cent, by raising silage. 



Whether or not to raise silage sometimes depends on the presence 

 or absence of a silo and of harvesting and filling equipment. However. 

 most dairy farms have one or more silos that are in satisfactory condi- 

 tion or can be made so inexpensively, and through cooperation and ex- 

 change of labor may make purchase of new and additional equipment 

 unnecessary. 



When the silo is present, and machinery, harvester, blower and 

 power are owned or readily available in the neighborhood, the decision 

 should depend largely on the cash costs, the distribution of labor and 

 the influence on farm organization. 



Table 5. Relation of cattle units per acre of roughage to percentage of 



roughage area in silage. 



As indicated in Table 6, the peak in labor requirements on hay 

 came in July and August, while the peak in silage production came 



