Feeding Dairy Cattle 

 6,040 cubic feet. To store the equivalent of 30 tons of hay 

 will require 15,000 cubic feet of barn room at least as costly 

 in construction. 



This brings up the question of first cost for those who 

 must build new silos. A careful study of the comparative 

 costs of the different types of silos based on the 100 ton size 

 yields the following data : 



Wooden stave silos cost $1.50 per ton capacity; solid 

 concrete type $2.50 per ton; cement block $4 per ton, and 

 vitrified hollow tile $5.50 per ton. If we add this cost of the 

 silo to the cost of production given above, a valuation of %^ 

 per ton for the silage covers the entire cost of a stave silo in 

 one year. Therefore can any dairyman afford to be without 

 silage? 



The next great question is the question of hay. Com- 

 puted from the 1910 census, the following table gives the 

 average yield per acre from alfalfa, clover, timothy and c<irn 

 on an air dry basis: 



RETURN PER ACRE OP ALFALFA AND OTHER CROPS 



Yield per Dig. crude Total dig-, 



acre. lbs. protein, lbs. nutrients, lbs. 



Alfalfa hay 5040 529 2672 



Clover hay 2440 183 1263 



Timothy hay 2440 68 1174 



Corn- (ears and stover) 3440 140 1964 



This shows in no uncertain way why the acreage of alfalfa 

 has doubled during the last ten years and put this crop ahead 

 of any other dry roughage. Alfalfa hay forms the best sup- 

 plement to corn silage. The man who has l)oth alfalfa and 

 corn silage has gone a long way in solving his feeding prob- 

 lems. Therefore after planning for silage all dairy farmers 

 should turn their attention to the production of alfalfa. We 

 need not go into detail. A glance which shows the compara- 

 tive production of total digestible nutrients per acre and the 

 comparative production of digestible ]irotein is all that is 

 needed. Then couple this e^•idence with the fact that the 

 alfalfa crop is perennial through at least five vears when a 

 good stand is secured. Therefore the foundation is silage 

 and alfalfa. 



A very significant statement was once made to the writer 

 by a New York farmer who had had much experience with 

 alfalfa in the alfalfa belt. He said: "If you will do as much 

 for the clover plant as you are willing to do for the alfalfa 

 jjlant in the way of preparation of the seed l)ed, lime, etc., the 

 clover plant will do as much for you." There is a chance 

 for much reflection on this. We do a great deal for alfalfa. 

 Perhaps if we were more careful of our clover and did a little 

 Page Twenty-nine 



