48 CLASSES OF FEEDING STUFFS 



excellent to add to the ration of the cow. Sugar beets 

 are about equal to silage in feeding value but cost more 

 to produce. Mangels are heavy yielders, and should be 

 fed pulped or sliced. Rutabagas may taint the milk of 

 cows, and should be fed after milking. Carrots are good 

 for horses, especially for young horses. While potatoes 

 are low in yield compared with some of the other crops, 

 small and otherwise unsalable potatoes may be fed sliced 

 to cows, and cooked to pigs, with good results. 



Roots should be stored in a good root cellar and not 

 allowed to freeze. Frozen roots should never be fed. 



CORN SILAGE AND ITS PREPARATION 



Although any green forage crop may be ensiled, expe- 

 rience has taught that corn is the best crop for the silo. 



Filling the Silo. — The best time to cut corn for silage 

 is when the kernels are well glazed, or about the same stage 

 of growth that corn is usually cut for grain. When filling 

 the silo, the material should be chopped with a silage cutter 

 into bits about ^ inch in length, and well tramped down, 

 especially at the edges, in order to exclude the air. The 

 maximum amount of silage can be stored in the silo if the 

 material is allowed to settle a day or two after each day's 

 filling. One of the approved modern methods of handling 

 silage is to fill the silo as full as possible and then to seal 

 it by planting on top of the silage, oats or other crop that, 

 in growing, will form a mat which will exclude the air. 

 After the silo is opened, there should be continuous feeding 

 to prevent long exposure to the air, which will cause molds 

 to grow, and result in poor feeding material. About two 

 inches in depth of the silage should be fed each day. This 



