22 BULLETIX 1045, U. S. DEPART^IEXT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



not eat as much of it as of the corn silage. In 1918, when they were 

 fed on sunflower silage continuously for a considerable period, both 

 dairy cows and beef cattle ate the sunflower silage ver}^ well at first, 

 but after 10 days or two weeks they would not eat as much. '' It 

 seemed the longer they were fed sunflower silage the less they would 

 clean up. The cows also dropped ofl^ in their milk flow." 



In 1919 Holden added to the sunflower silage about 10 per cent, 

 by weight, of molasses from the sugar factory. Dairy cows, beef 

 cattle, and fattening lambs ate this silage fairly well, but even 

 with the molasses added they did not relish it as well as thej did the 

 corn silage. 



At the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station the leaA^es of 

 the sunflower plants had been killed by rust and drought so that the 

 crop was in poor condition when it was ensiled. T. E. Woodward, 

 in charge of the silage experiments at the experiment farm of the 

 Dairj^ Division of the United States Department of Agriculture at 

 Beltsville, Md., reports some difficulty in getting dairy cows to eat 

 the sunflower silage, although its quality appeared to be good. De- 

 tails are lacking regarding the condition of the sunflowers when they 

 were put into the silo at the jSIichigan station. It is impossible, 

 therefore, to explain its apparent lack of palatability. With the ex- 

 ception of the above-mentioned reports and that of the Pennsylvania, 

 experiment station (see p. 24) there has been little complaint about 

 the palatability of sunflower silage. 



At the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station cattle, sheep, 

 and hogs ate sunflower silage readily and in sufficient quantities to 

 prove its availability in the rationing of these animals. The West 

 Virginia, Wyoming, and Idaho experiment stations, the University 

 of Saskatchewan, and the Manitoba Agricultural College, in addition 

 to numerous farmers, all report that sunflower silage is relished by 

 dairy cows. It is safe to sa}', therefore, that silage made from sun- 

 flowers which are in good condition and at the right stage of de- 

 velopment when cut will in most cases be consumed readily by dairy 

 cows and most other kinds of live stock, with the possible exception 

 of horses. 



COLOR, TEXTURE. AND ODOR. 



Good sunflower silage is usually a dark olive-brown color, much 

 darker than corn or sorghum silage. In texture it compares fa^"or- 

 ably with corn silage when the sunflowers have been harvested at 

 the right stage of maturity and stored properly. Most of the com- 

 plaints regarding the texture of sunflower silage are the result of 

 harvesting the crop too late. When the plants have been allowed 

 to stand until the seeds are in the hard dough stage or even nearer 

 ripe, the stems become woody and do not soften up in the silo. 



