334 SOILING CROPS AND THE SILO. 



cured with but little hazard. But it is pretty certain 

 that they cannot be cured thus, because of the excess 

 of moisture which they contain. This at least has 

 been the outcome of experiments made heretofore to 

 preserve the tops of field roots in the silo. 



But it is different with beet pulp. The feeding 

 value is not greatly reduced by taking so much of 

 the sugar content from it. It is ordinarily not prac- 

 ticable for farmers contiguous to the beet factory to 

 cart the entire product of the pulp from the same and 

 to feed it on their farms. They cannot do so in cold 

 weather and the time required would be too valuable 

 unless \\hen they lived near the factory. It would 

 seem to be in a sense necessary therefore to store it 

 in a silo of some kind near the factory and to 

 feed it from the same. The product thus pre- 

 served has been made to furnish an excellent adjunct 

 in feeding dairy stock and cattle and sheep that 

 are being kept for breeding uses or that are being 

 fattened. 



Rape. — Experiments have been made to pre- 

 serve rape in the silo, but so far as the Author has 

 been able to ascertain, they have not been successful. 

 Like the tops of field roots, rape is too watery to 

 make good silage. It deca3''s in the silo, turns black 

 in color and becomes tainted with an offensive odor. 

 No-r is there any real necessity for curing it thus. 

 The labor of handling would be increased as com- 

 pared with that entailed in feeding it directly as 

 soiling food. Though preserved ever so well, it 

 would have to be fed with much caution to milch 

 cows lest taint might be produced in the milk. It 

 would seem therefore to be a waste of time for any 



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