600 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



exception of one animal all kept in the 

 best of health, consuming /about 6.6 

 pounds of silage and V2 pound of oats 

 a head daily. 



As the result of experiments at the 

 Massachusetts and New York Cornell 

 station, it has been shown that 4 pounds 

 of corn silage is about equivalent in 

 feeding value to a pound of mixed hay. 



The Wisconsin station made a test 

 of the value of succulent vs. dry rations 

 for fattening lambs. One lot was fed 

 on hay and grain and gained 2.6 pounds 

 a head weekly. The other lot was fed 

 this same ration with silage in addition 

 and gained 2.3 pounds a head weekly. 

 When roots were fed, the gain was 2.4 

 pounds weekly. The flesh of the lambs 

 fed on the dry ration contained 43.11 

 per cent of water and on the succulent 

 ration about 49 per cent of water, which 

 indicates that succulent rations tend to 

 produce a watery flesh. Similar results 

 with succulent rations on the watery 

 character of the flesh, were noted at the 

 Utah station, when sheep were fed beets 

 and turnips. 



At the Michigan station corn silage 

 was compared with sugar beets for fat- 

 tening lambs fed alike in other respects. 

 The lambs on silage gained on the aver- 

 age 2 1 /2 pounds a week, and on sugar 

 beets 3 pounds a week. In another test 

 at the same station, good corn silage 

 was compared with cut rutabaga for fat- 

 tening lambs. In this experiment the 

 gains were the same with both lots, 1.7 

 pounds a week, but the root fed lot gave 

 a profit of only 22 cents a head, while 

 on the corn silage the gain was 63 cents 

 a head. 



In experiments reported from the 

 Ontario agricultural college, lambs fed 

 silage with hay and grain gained 1.8 

 pounds a week, and when roots were 

 fed with the same rations, the gain was 

 2.12 pound a week. In this experi- 

 ment the proportion fed was two parts 

 hay with one of silage or roots. 



In experiments reported by the New 

 York Cornell station with lambs, the 

 gain when roots were fed in the ration 

 was about 3.4 pounds a head weekly, 

 while when a good quality of corn silage 

 was fed, the gain was about 3.8 pounds 

 a head weekly. 



Conclusions relative to silage — The 

 experiences of sheep farmers are gen- 

 erally concordant in showing that silage 

 is a very useful winter feed for sheep, 



for adding succulence and palatability 

 to the rations. While it is possible to 

 maintain sheep entirely on a good qual- 

 ity of corn silage, it is not advisable to 

 do so. It should be used rather as only 

 a part of the rations, feeding some good 

 hay with it. 



The experiments noted above are not 

 decisive either way. As compared with 

 roots, owing, however, to its much great- 

 er cheapness, corn silage is likely to be 

 used to a much greater extent than 

 roots. 



On sandy lands, however, where tur- 

 nips or beets can be grown, the English 

 method of pasturing them off might be 

 used to a much greater profit in this 

 country than it is. On the heavier lands 

 it is probable that Dwarf Essex rape 

 will continue to take the lead as a suc- 

 culent fall pasture crop. 



Boots — The principal roots grown for 

 sheep in this country are mangels and 

 rutabagas or swedes. Some experiments 

 have also been made in the use of sugar 

 beets, sugar beet pulp, turnips and pota- 

 toes. In some English experiments 

 sheep gained faster when hurdled on 

 turnips than when fed turnips on pas- 

 ture. In either wet or dry weather it 

 has been found that sheep fatten more 

 readily on turnip land than on grass. 

 Some other experiments carried on at 

 Wye college, England, indicate that 

 sugar beets are not as good as mangels 

 for fattening sheep. The wool of the 

 sheep fed mangels was superior to that 

 of the sheep fed sugar beets. In two 

 experiments reported by the English 

 Board of Agriculture, mangels proved 

 20 to 30 per cent better than sugar beets 

 and it cost less to grow them. 



Sugar beet pulp, a by-product ob- 

 tained in the manufacture of beet sugar, 

 has been extensively used for feeding to 

 sheep at the Colorado station. Sheep 

 fed sugar beets, in connection with a 

 small grain ration, slightly increased the 

 gains made, giving a return of about $3 

 a ton for the sugar beets. When the 

 sheep were fed all the sugar beets they 

 would eat or about 4 pounds a head 

 daily, the beets had a feeding value of 

 about $2 a ton — an amount too small 

 to pay for raising them. When pulp 

 was used instead of the whole beet, as 

 good gains were made as when the whole 

 beets were fed. The pulp contains about 

 90 per cent of water, so that in a ton of 

 pulp there is about 200 pounds of dry 



