232 Feeds and Feeding. 



of the Alaska Experiment Station^ reports that fresh native grasses 

 kept well when stored in a log silo made smooth inside, and that such 

 silage satisfactorily maintained oxen during 3 winters. Green rye is 

 fairly satisfactory for silage, providing it is ensiled by the time the 

 heads have shot and before the stems have become woody. Since the 

 hollow stems contain air, rye forage must be closely compacted in the 

 silo. 



As a class the legumes have proved disappointing for silage. (247) 

 Red clover silage usually has a rank, tenacious odor and is not par- 

 ticularly relished by stock. At the Agassiz (British Columbia) Sta- 

 tion- 3 cuttings of red clover, yielding 32 tons of green forage per 

 acre, made a cheaper silage than that from the corn plant. Dean of 

 the Ontario (Canada) Agricultural College^ reports that an acre of 

 clover silage did not yield one-half the returns of an equal area of 

 corn silage. The Colorado Station* reports fair results from ensiling 

 alfalfa, and that the silage was relished by cows and calves. The 

 cowpea, so valuable in southern agriculture, fortunately shows favor- 

 ably as a silage plant. Doane of the Maryland Station^ found cow- 

 pea silage slightly superior to corn silage for dairy cows. Crenshaw 

 of Georgia*^ recommends that cowpeas carrying a heavy crop of grain 

 be ensiled when well matured, since immature vines make watery, 

 sour silage. While the reports on the soybean plant for silage are 

 not in accord, it is probable that further experience will rank it with 

 the cowpea for this purpose. 



Such substances as beet pulp, beet leaves, apple pomace, and sor- 

 ghum bagasse may be successfully ensiled in silos, or placed in heaps 

 and covered with earth, or, if no better provision can be made, 

 massed in large heaps without covering, in which case the outside por- 

 tion on decaying forms a preserving crust. (310) Cooke of the Ver- 

 mont Station^ found that ensiled apple pomace was preferred by 

 cows to either hay or corn fodder, and concludes that it has equal 

 value with corn silage for cows. (657) Boyce of Australia® reports 

 prickly pears making silage relished by cattle, the thorns softening 

 and becoming harmless. Weeds and other waste vegetation may some- 

 times be advantageously ensiled. Featherstonhaugh of Australia" re- 

 ports a case where 800 tons of ensiled thistles made satisfactory 

 silage. Attempts to ensile cabbage, rape, and turnips have failed, the 

 product being ill-smelling and watery. 



' Bui. 1. " Country Gentleman, Feb. 16, 1899. 



■ Canada Expt. Farms Ept. 1905. '■ Kpt. 1903. 



^ Ept. Ontario Dairyman 's Ass 'n, 1901. « N. S. Wales Gaz., Vol. 8, p. 505. 



" Bui. 57. » N. S. Wales Gaz., Vol. 9, p. 71. 

 " Bui. 98. 



