142 



SILAGE CROPS. 



been fed, when they have only been flUed up." The same applies 

 with equal strength to the use of large, immature Southern 

 varieties of fodder, or for the silo, in Northern States. 



In comparative variety tests with corn in the North, Southern 

 varieties have usually been found to furnish larger quantities per 

 acre of both green fodder and total dry matter in the fodder than 

 the smaller Northern varieties. As an average of seven culture 

 trials, Professor Jordan thus obtained the following results at the 

 Maine Station. 



Table IX. — ^Comparative Yields of Southern Corn and Maine Field 

 Corn Grown lii Maine, 1888-1893. 



The average percentage digestibility of the dry substance is 

 65 per cent, for the Southern corn, and 72 per cent, for the Maine 

 field corn, all the results obtained for the former varieties being 

 lower than those obtained for the latter. While the general result 

 for the five years, so far as the yield of digestible matter is con- 

 cerned, is slightly in favor of the Southern varieties, the fact 

 should not be lost sight of that an average of 6>4, tons more of 

 material has annually to be handled over several times, in case of 

 these varieties of corn, in order to gain 175 pounds more of diges- 

 tible matter per acre; we therefore conclude that the smaller, less 

 watery, variety of corn really proved the more profitable. 



At other Northern stations similar results, or results more 

 favorable to the Northern varieties, have been obtained, showing 

 that the modern practice of growing only such corn for the silo as 

 will mature in the particular locality of each farmer, is borne 

 out by the results of careful culture tests. 



