238 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRY^TEN'S ASSOCIATION 



able. Broadly speaking, there are two factors involved in this 

 problem, first, to satisfy the needs of the cow and, second, to 

 suit the pocketbook. The cow must have an ample supply of 

 feed of a palatable nature, and this feed must be supplied at a 

 price which will permit a profit on the feeding operation. 



Viewed from an economic standpoint, there are some fun- 

 damental considerations which should first receive attention. In 

 general farm practice it is advisable, so far as is economical, to 

 use the feeds produced on the farm. Often the freight rates and 

 the middleman's charges, if saved, will constitute a good profit 

 for the feeder. This is especially true of roughage. Such feeds 

 are bulky and in most cases must be baled at a considerable cost ; 

 the freight rates also are much greater in proportion to the nutri- 

 ents contained than on the grains. 



When land is high in price and the markets for dairy pro- 

 ducts are good, it is often impracticable to grow all the feeds on 

 the farm. In such cases arrangements first should be made to 

 grow the roughage, on account of the high cost of transport- 

 ing these feeds. In most cases the prime object of the farm 

 under such conditions will be to supply the greatest possible 

 quantity of roughage. 



It is a difficult problem to provide a system of winter feed- 

 ing of roughage which will make the best use of home-grown 

 roughage and at the same time insure full production. Only a 

 general discussion of the problem can be attempted. 



Silage. 



In addition to containing the proper nutrients in the right 

 proportion, part of the ration should be of a succulent nature. 

 It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to keep cows in full 

 production throughout the winter without some succulent feed. 

 There are two chief sources of succulent feed for winter feed- 

 ing — silage and roots. Of these, silage is in almost universal 

 vise by commercial dairymen. While almost any green crop may 

 be used for silage, the heavy yields of corn, as compared with 

 other crops, and its comparative ease of handling, together with 

 its keeping qualities, make it the leading silage crop. Where the 



