68 ELEMENTARY TREATISE ON STOCK FEEDS AND FEEDING 



Time to Harvest Forage Plants. — It is generally considered 

 best to cut grass before it fully matures as it is more palatable 

 and the digestible nutrients probably amount to as much as in 

 the fully mature plants. The legumes if allowed to mature 

 suffer large losses in the breaking ofif of the leaves and other 

 tender parts. With corn it is best to allow it to mature before 

 harvesting as the fiber decreases and half of the carbohydrates 

 increase with maturity. This increase in carbohydrates is to be 

 expected as the ears amount to about one-half the weight of 

 the crop. The dry matter of the mature corn plant is also more 

 digestible than that of the immature plant. 



Silage. — Often times feeds are preserved in the green state; 



Fig. 5.— Filling a silo. 



the resulting product being called silage or ensilage. To ac- 

 complish this an air-tight box called the silo is used. The fod- 

 der is best preserved by chopping into small pieces about one 

 inch long. Corn is preserved more than any other crop in this 

 way, although the sorghums and some of the legumes as peas, 

 the clovers, cowpeas, soja bean, the vetches and velvet bean are 



