ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



263 



quiring to be devoted to crops other than t orn is 53 per cent more in the^ 

 feeding of the silage than in the feeding of the shock corn. On the basis 

 of the total area involved 62 per cent in case of silage, and 51.6 per cent 

 in case of shock corn were devoted to growing crops other than corn. 

 It should be borne in mind that this tefers to the acreage involved and not 

 the meat made. From these data v.e can compute the number of pounds 

 of meat (beef and pork) produced per acre. Where silage, oats and hay 

 were fed, 385.35 pounds of meat were produced per acre. Where shock 

 corn ,oats .and hay were fed. 337.91 pounds of meat were produced per 

 acre. As the amounts of hay and cats fed to the two lots were practi- 

 cally the same, it is reasonable to suppose that this difference of 47.45 

 pounds of meat produced per acre was due to the different form in which 

 the corn plant was fed. As ihe bttlc-i results were secured with the lot 

 of steers receiving their corn in tic form of silage, we may conclude that 

 this experiment indicates that it i= posible to get' 47.45 pounds more 

 meat from an acre of corn put in the silo than when fed as shock corn to 

 calves which are being wintered rather than fattened. 



This experiment indicaUs that there are at least nine adjutages of 

 a system of silage feeding over that of shock corn in the wintering of 

 calves intended for b<'tt production. 



First, the corn can be hauled from the field and stored in the silo 

 at a time when little damage is done to the soil by getting onto the land 

 when it is too wet. 



Second, the manure and litter incident to the feeding of steers where 

 silage is used are in much more convenient form to handle, and probably 

 they are more readily available as plant food than where shock corn is 

 fed. 



Third, the quality of silage and the cost and convenience of feeding 

 it is but little, if any, affected by bad weather which in Illinois so frequent- 

 ly makes it next to impossible to feed shock corn to advantage. 



Fourth, the calves in the sprir.g are in better thrift and flesh. 



Fifth, more rapid gains can be secured. 



