32 TEE DIRECTOR, EXPERIMEXTAL FARMS 



By Mr. Clancy: 



Q. How does corn ensilage compare with other fodders for feeding purposes^ ? 



A. That is a difficult question to answer; so much depends on the condition of 

 the ensilage when fed. Some seasons the corn plant when put into the silo has not 

 reached exactly the same degree of development as to maturity as it has in other 

 seasons, and that would affect the proportion of digestible matter in the corn. The 

 chemist of the Dominion experimental farms this year has been making a special study 

 of this subject; for several years he has also been investigating recently the changes that 

 occur in the silo in the corn during the winter, and I would prefer, as he is more con- 

 versant with this than I am, that you would defer the discussion of that subject until 

 he comes before you. 



By Mr. ^Yilso)l: 



Q. Who is he ? 



A. I refer to Mr. F. T. Shutt, the chemist of the experimental farms. I may 

 say, however, that the usefulness of tliis cheap source of nutriment for animals is 

 attracting increased attention both in Canada and elsewhere. Two years ago, we had 

 a visit from Prof. Smith, of the agricultural college at Wye, Kent, England, and he was 

 astonished at the results we obtained so cheaply by the feeding of ensilage from In- 

 dian corn. He said, ' why could not we grow this maize in Kent, and use it for a 

 sim.ilar purpose there ? ' Shortly after he returned to England he sent an order for 

 some seed corn to test this matter, and last week I had a letter from him giving the 

 results of his experiments, and he has succeeded in growing in Kent crops about as 

 heavy as we have had this year, some of the varieties going as high as 22 and 21 long 

 tons to the acre. This has awakened so much interest in England that the Department 

 of Agriculture has requested him this year to carry on further experiments in dif- 

 ferent parts of England to test the usefulness of Indian corn as a fodder plant more 

 generally, and he sends an order for a considerable quantity of seed to be forwarded 

 for this purpose. It is quite creditable to us here, I think, that we are leading in this 

 matter. During the past year we have had requests from Great Britain, France, Ger- 

 many, South Africa, Egj'pt and the Argentine Republic for samples of the varieties 

 that we have been growing here, showing that this question as to the relative value of 

 varieties of grain is awakening attention in the minds of thoughtful agriculturists 

 all over the world. 



By Mr. Bohinson (IF. Elgin): 



Q. I am fully satisfied that before many years every farmer will have a silo and 

 secure ensilage for his stock. 



A. I do not see how a farmer manages to get along nowadays without a silo. 

 Corn shocked in the field does, of course, take the place of the silo to a certain extent. 

 The effect of ensiling the corn is to make the food more palatable and more easilv 

 digested. It is a sort of a partial digestion in advance. We know that animals fed 

 on coarse, dry fodder do not extract from them all the nutritious matter they contain. 

 Some of it finds its way to the manure heap. 



By Mr. Clancy: 



Q. Have you made any experiments in coriiparing corn ensilage with corn stocked 

 i;nd dried in the field as feed for the cattle ? 



A. Yes. Corn, when stocked serves a very good purpose as cattle food, but it is 

 ncit so economical or so palatable as ensilage. The animals do not eat the coarse ]-iarts 

 of the stem, for instance, they are too woody, Avhereas, in the feeding of cnsilHtre 

 everything is eaten up clean, and the stems contain a considerable quantity of nutri- 

 tive material. 



