THE SUNFLOWER AS A SILAGE CROP, 27 



fed a limited ration of sunflower silage only for 30 days with good 

 results, and mature beef cows thrived when fed sunflower silage 

 in the morning and hay in the evening. 



At the Wyoming station it was observed that cattle preferred the 

 sunflower silage to good alfalfa hay or oat-and-pea silage. The 

 silage was found especially valuable in Wyoming as a substitute for 

 pasture during the winter, keeping both dairy cows and beef cattle 

 in a thrifty growing condition. 



The New Mexico station also fed sunflower silage to beef cows and 

 young beef stock. It was compared with sweet-sorghum silage for 

 this purpose and found to equal the latter in feeding value. What 

 difference there was in the gains produced favored the sunflower 

 silage {16). 



At the University of Alberta (^) at Edmonton 54 steers were fed 

 for 140 days in a comparison of three kinds of silage. Eighteen 

 head were fed oat silage; 18 head, oat-and-pea silage, and 18 

 head, sunflower silage. The steers had all the silage and hay they 

 desired in addition to a two-thirds grain and linseed-oil meal ration. 

 The oat and oat-and-pea silages were both first-class. The sunflower 

 silage was not so good, because the crop had to be harvested while 

 it was immature. From 2 to 20 per cent of the plants were in bloom 

 and one field was frosted before harvest. No difficulty was experi- 

 enced in getting the steers to eat sunflower silage, and there was no 

 trouble from scouring even while they were consuming 73 pounds 

 of silage a day. In this experiment oat silage ranked first in rapidity 

 and economy of gains, sunflower silage second, and oat-and-pea 

 silage third. 



There is little doubt from these experiments that sunflower silage 

 can be used with good results in the rations of beef cattle. 



USE OF SUNFLOWER SILAGE IN FEEDING SHEEP. 



During the winter of 1917-18 the Montana Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station conducted an experiment in feeding sunflower silage 

 to breeding ewes. This test was designed to indicate the value of 

 sunflower silage in replacing a part of the alfalfa hay in the ration. 

 The lot fed hay and oats was under test for 77 days, and the lot fed 

 hay, silage, and oats for 74 days. The average gain per ewe during 

 the test period was 13.2 pounds for the hay-fed lot and 12.4 pounds 

 for those in which silage was included in the ration. This slight 

 difference in gain was due for the most part, perhaps, to the slightly 

 greater quantity of oats received by the first lot. The conclusion 

 reached by the experimenters was that in feeding breeding ewes 2J 

 pounds of sunflower silage is equal to 1 pound of alfalfa hay. No 

 unfavorable results were noted in feeding the sunflower silage either 

 before, during, or after lambing. 



