Cut-Over Pine Lands in the South. 



43 



quality and is eaten greedily by cattle. Since the beans are later in 

 maturing than the corn, the corn is left until well matured. The dry 

 fodder improves the keeping quality of the beans so that the silage 

 does not become rank and black as does silage made from a legume 

 alone. The velvet bean increases the protein content of the silage to 

 a marked degree and the analysis would indicate a higher feeding 

 value than corn or sorghum alone. Early varieties of beans are sown 

 when the crop is to be harvested as silage, as they are more nearly 

 mature at the time the corn is ready to cut and the vine growth does 

 not interfere so seriously in removing the crop from the field. 



Table 6 gives the analysis of a single sample of corn-and-velvet- 

 bean silage as compared with analyses of corn silage and sorghum 

 silage. 



Table 6. — Analyses of corn-and-velvet-bean silage as compared with silage 

 made from corn and from, sorghum. 





Number 



of 

 analyses. 



Constituents. 





Kind of silage. 



Water. 



Ash. 



Crude 

 protein. 



Carbohydrates. 







Crude 

 fiber. 



Nitrogen 



free 

 extract. 



Fat. 





1 



121 

 30 



Per cent. 

 73.7 

 73.7 



77.2 



Per cent. 

 1.0 

 1.7 

 1.6 



Per cent. 

 3.5 

 2.1 

 1.5 



Per cent. 

 5.5 

 6.3 

 6.9 



Per cent. 

 15.6 

 15.4 

 11.9 



Per cent. 

 0.7 





.8 





.9 







1 Analyzed by the Bureau of Chemistry, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



2 Analyses from Henry and Morrison. 



Table 6 shows the analysis of corn-and-velvet-bean silage to be very 

 similar to corn silage and sorghum silage except that there is a very 

 marked difference in the quantity of crude protein. The crude- 

 protein content is more than double that of sorghum silage and 

 nearly double that of corn silage. The crude-fiber content is also 

 very low and is less than that of either sorghum or corn silage. The 

 analysis would indicate a higher feeding value for corn-and-velvet- 

 bean silage than corn or sorghum silage alone. 



Japanese cane has been used to some extent as a silage crop because 

 of its heavy yields, but it has not been generally satisfactory. This 

 crop bears no grain and the silage is low in crude-protein content 

 and somewhat high in fiber content. The silage is usually of poor 

 quality and not equal to corn or sorghum silage in feeding value. 



RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WINTER FEEDING. 



Roughages should be used to the fullest extent as winter feed. 

 Provision must be made for feeding at least 3 months and the use 

 of large quantities of roughage is the most economical method of 



