FEED AND CARE OE DAIRY COWS 195 



opened up and allowed to dry a short while until the water 

 passes off and stored away .before the dew falls. 



Silage. — This is one of the best fodders for dairy cows. It 

 furnishes succulent feed that exerts a beneficial physiological 

 effect which tends to increase milk production. In winter it is 

 very acceptable when green feeds are not to be had. It is vari- 

 able in composition depending upon the nature of the crop or 

 crops used, the condition of growth, and with corn the maturity 

 of the ears. When corn is harvested at too earjy a stage it con- 

 tains a great deal of water which tends to produce the so-called 

 sour silage. Sweet silage is obtained from the more mature 

 corn and may be fed in larger quantities than sour silage. As 

 high as 50 pounds per day are sometimes fed but 30 to 40 pounds 

 are usually sufficient. Some dry roughage as leguminous hay 

 should be fed with it. 



Corn and Legumes Make Valuable Silage. — The following from 

 Bui. loi, Illinois Experiment Station is valuable data relative 

 to silage. "Corn not only produces a large quantity of nutritious 

 feed that is easily placed in the silo, but it is of such a nature 

 as to pack readily and keep well. The large southern varieties 

 of ensilage corn, which, give enormous yields in tons per acre, 

 have been recommended for silage; but such varieties do not 

 produce much grain and the total nutrients are usually less than 

 from ordinary field corn. The best results are obtained with 

 some variety that will give a good yield of grain, and by plant- 

 ing somewhat thicker than for a grain crop. Under , average 

 conditions a larger tonnage of feed can usually be obtained per 

 acre by combining corn, sorghum and cowpeas or soy beans, but 

 even with this combination the greater part of the crop should 

 be corn. When either peas or beans are grown with corn and 

 the entire crop is put into the silo, the feeding value is greater, 

 ton for ton, than that of corn alone. This is a much more 

 economical method of obtaining protein than by purchasing it 

 in high priced concentrates, as gluten feed, cotton-seed meal, 

 linseed meal, etc. 



