124 SILAGE IN BBBE^ PRODUCTION. 



tonseed meal or linseed oil meal. This fact is demonstrated by the 

 results of a feeding trial conducted at the Illinois experiment sta- 

 tion during the winter of 1910-1911. In this experiment each of 

 three lots of two-year-old steers received a full feed of broken 

 ear corn and corn silage; in addition one lot was fed all the alfalfa 

 hay it could clean up, and another lot clover hay,, and third lot was 

 fed enough cottonseed meal to balance the ration. The lot re- 

 ceiving corn, alfalfa hay and silage made an average daily gain 

 of 2.35 pounds; the lot fed corn, clover hay and silage made an 

 average daily gain of 2.09 pounds; while the lot receiving cotton 

 seed meal in the place of a leguminous roughage made a gain of 

 2.59 pounds per, head daily arid returned a larger profit than either 

 of the other lots. 



"Aside from failure to properly balance the ration, probably 

 the most common mistake in feeding silage to fattening cattle 

 is the practice of beginning with a, small amount of silage and 

 gradually increasing as the feeding period advances. This is just 

 the reverse of the method that should Ire followed." 



/ 



At the Indiana Station, the 175 day feeding trials conducted 

 from Nov. 20, 1913, to May 14, 1914, rendered strong evidence in 

 favor of feeding corn silage and cheap roughage. Seven lots of 

 10 grade Shorthorns each, were fed various combinations . of 

 shelled corn, soybean meal, cottonseed meal, oat straw, clover and 

 alfalfa hay — with and without silage. The test showed little dif- 

 ference in the feeding value of soybean meal and cottonseed meal, 

 either in finish or profits. 



The most profitable lot of steers received shelled corn, cotton- 

 seed, meal, silage and oat straw. Including pork, the profit per 

 steer was $12.94; without pork, $4.94. This lot not only made the 

 most profit, but also made the fastest gains, the average daily gain 

 per steer being 2.54 pounds for the six months. 



Excluding pork, three lots lost money. Two of these, Lots 2 

 and 3, did not receive silage.- The other lot received silage, but 

 the cost of gains was greatly increased by the consumption of 

 about $54.00 worth of alfalfa hay. 



V This experiment confirmed previous findings at both the In- 

 diana and Illinois Stations regarding the economy of silage, and 

 the profitable use of oat straw or other cheap roughage, whan 

 fed in connection with corn, cottonseed rneal and silage, instead 

 of such costly roughages as alfalfa or clover hay. The oat straw 

 was found to give as good results as clover hay. 



For several years the silage -fed cattle at the Indiana Station 



