452 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



In Vermont, Hills has carried on ex- 

 tensive experiments with the corn plant, 

 in various forms, as a roughage for 

 cows. Corn fodder (stalks and ears) 

 proved about equal to silage, the latter 

 being slightly better on the whole. Both 

 silage and corn fodder were better than 

 corn stover. In Hills' experiments, green 

 sweet corn fodder was somewhat better 

 relished than dent corn and gave a 

 larger yield of milk. Dent corn, how- 

 ever, produced more forage per acre and 

 was a more profitable crop. Hills also 

 determined that the butts of corn stover 



the same from all four forms of the 

 corn crop. As a rule, about 3 per cent 

 more milk was obtained from whole 

 silage than from stover silage and a sim- 

 ilar difference was observed between dry 

 fodder and stover. For milk production 

 it was found that one acre of corn made 

 into whole silage equaled 1.26 acres of 

 stover or stover silage and 1.8 acres of 

 corn fodder, while silage and stover si- 

 lage were better relished by the cows 

 than corn fodder or stover and the 

 relative cost of preparing and feeding 



Fig. 292 DAIRY HERD IN BARE LOT NEAR SILO 



are equal to the tops and that corn 

 stover, as a whole, is equal to timothy 

 hay. In one experiment in Vermont, 

 silage proved better than hay, but in 

 this respect different experiments vary 

 somewhat. 



Corn silage — As a rule, silage from 

 frosted corn is inferior to that which is 

 not affected by frost. In early tests at 

 the Vermont experiment station, corn 

 silage made more milk, but of a poorer 

 quality than that obtained from corn 

 fodder. The silage appeared to be supe- 

 rior, however, to green corn fodder. 

 Whole silage, stover silage, corn fodder, 

 and stover were all relished by cows, 

 and the quality of the milk was about 



the different forms of the crop was 

 greatly in favor of whole silage. 



In New York, silage was found to 

 increase the yield of milk and butter and 

 to cheapen the cost; while in Iowa, corn 

 fodder made a better showing than roots 

 or silage. Sweet corn proved somewhat 

 inferior to peas and oats, red clover, 

 soy beans or cowpeas as a soiling crop, 

 but the butter from sweet corn scored 

 higher than any other soiling crop used 

 in comparison. In Michigan, silage 

 proved more economical than corn fod- 

 der or roots. According to a test made 

 in Maryland, there is least loss in feed- 

 ing corn fodder shredded and mixed 

 with the grain and moistened. 



