AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 75 



(3.) Assuming the digestible matter of hay and ensilage to 

 be equal in value, pound for pound, when hay is worth $10 per 

 ton, ensilage of the kind used in this experiment would be 

 worth $2.25 per ton. But this ensilage contained more water 

 than the average, or 83.3 pounds to the hundred, while the 

 average fifty-seven American analyses is 80.5 pounds of water 

 or 19.5 pounds of dry matter to the hundred. 



Had this ensilage been of average quality, then the ton value 

 reckoned on the above basis would be $2.62. But in this 

 case we should give the ensilage the credit of the increased 

 milk production, which seems to have been at the rate of 85 

 lbs. of milk to each ton of ensilage. 



The Value of the Digestible Matter of Ensilage as Com- 

 pared WITH the Digestible Matter of Hat, for Growth. 

 An experiment was carried on with young steers in the winter 

 and spring of 1889, for the purpose of testing the value of ensilage 

 in the ration, similar to the experiment with milch cows, just de- 

 scribed. The plan of feeding was the same in the two cases. A 

 change was made from a hay ration to a hay and ensilage ration, 

 then from a hay and ensilage ration to a hay ration, with a final 

 change back to hay, and ensilage in all, four periods. These 

 periods were : 



(1.) Jan. 4th to Feb. 23d, inclusive, Hay and Mixed Grains. 



(2.) Feb. 24th to May 29th " Hay, Ensilage and Mixed Grains. 



(3.) May 30th to June 27th " Hay and Mixed Grains. 



(4.) June 28th to July 31st " Hay, Ensilage and Mixed Grains. 



From Jan. ith to March 30th, the grain ration was three pounds 

 of mixed grains to each animal daily, and after that four pounds. 

 The grains were the same in kind and mixed in the same pro- 

 portions throughout. The amount of hay fed was adapted to the 

 appetite of the animals, while twenty pounds of ensilage were fed 

 daily to each steer during the entire experiment. 



In order to secure the most accurate statement possible of the 

 relative growth with and without ensilage, the amounts of food 

 and grain are given, and comparisons are made for the following 

 periods of time : 



Jan. 4th to Feb. 23 is compared with Feb. 24th to March 27th. 



