'the  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
563 
Live  Stock  Matters 
By  Prof.  F.  C.  Minkler 
Sunflower  Silage;  Mangels 
What  is  the  value  of  sunflowers  as 
silage  for  dairy  cattle'?  How  would  you 
plant — in  between  corn  or  -separate? 
What  is  the  feeding  value  of  mangel 
beets  and  yield  per  acre?  Could  these 
beets  be  crushed  and  put  in  silo  with 
corn?  What  green  feed  other  than  oats 
can  be  planted  early  in  the  Spring? 
Rhode  Island.  a.  j.  c. 
Wherever  it  is  posible  to  grow  corn 
for  silage  this  grain  should  be  given  pre¬ 
ference  over  sunflower  silage.  Feeding 
trials  at  the  Illinois  Experiment  Station 
fail  to  confirm  the  tests  reported  at  the 
Western  stations,  suggesting  that  sun¬ 
flower  silage  was  equal  to  corn  silage  in 
feeding  value.  Test  cows  at  the  Illinois 
Station  whose  ration  was  long  continued 
on  sunflower  silage  evidenced  a  rough 
coat,  did  not  gain  generally  in  flesh,  and 
presented  an  appearance  that  clearly 
manifested  a  lack  of  some  nutrient  or 
feeding  quality  essential  for  growth  and 
production. 
'Where  sunflowers  are  grown  for  silage 
the  crop  should  be  planted  in  rows  by 
itself,  and  not  mixed  with  corn,  as  pro¬ 
posed.  Under  Rhode  Island  conditions  I 
would  not  propose  the  use  of  sunflowers 
as  against  corn  for  silage.  In  Kansas 
and  part  of  Colorado  and  Nebraska 
sorghum  is  grown  both  for  grain  and 
silage  with  rather  favorable  results.  It 
has  been  demonstrated  that  this  crop 
withstands  dry  weather  better  than  corn 
and  that  the  acre  yield  in  cattle  feeding 
value  is  substantially  greater  than  that 
resulting  from  growing  corn  under  these 
same  climatic  and  soil  conditions.  So 
far  as  I  know  there  is  no  crop  that  will 
yield  as  much  dry  matter  or  feeding 
value  per  acre  as  corn,  particularly  in 
sections  where  it  can  be  planted  with 
reasonable  assurance  that  it  will  reach 
maturity  before  frost.  The  early  varie¬ 
ties  of  silage  corn  have  given  splendid 
results  throughout  New  England. 
So  far  as  mangel  beets  are  concerned, 
the  greatest  drawback  is  the  cost  of  labor 
involved  in  their  production.  They  must 
be  planted  in  rows,  thinned  by  hand, 
tended  with  hoes,  all  of  which  adds 
materially  to  their  cost  of  growing.  A 
yield  of  25  tons  per  acre  can  reasonably 
be  expected  on  soil  that  will  produce  a 
normal  crop  of  corn  or  Alfalfa.  On  the. 
Island  of  Guernsey  and  throughout  Eng¬ 
land  and  Scotland  tremendous  yields  of 
mangels  are  obtained,  running  as  high  as 
50  or  GO  tons  per  acre.  We  cannot  ex¬ 
pect  to  receive  such  yields  in  this  coun¬ 
try,  for  even  abroad  these  results  are 
exceptional  and  obtained  only  on  some 
of  the  deep  tilled  soils  where  great  care 
has  been  exercised  in  preserving  and  in¬ 
creasing  the  fertility  of  the  soil. 
So  far  as  the  feeding  value  is  con¬ 
cerned,  mangel  beets  provide  succulence, 
are  very  appetizing,  supply  bulk  and 
palatability;  seem  to  favorably  affect  the 
digestibility  of  accompanying  feeds.  It 
is  not  unusual  for  cows  to  consume  as 
much  as  75  lbs.  of  the  mangels  per  day, 
and  instances  are  frequently  reported 
where  the  amount  fed  and  actually  con¬ 
sumed  greatly  exceeds  this  amount.  For 
ordinary  feeding  practices  beets  are 
scarcely  as  valuable,  pound  for  pound,  as 
silage.  Especially  is  this  true  where 
silage  is  made  from  corn  that  has  reached 
full  maturity.  Feeders  claim  that  1  lb. 
of  beet  pulp  is  equivalent  in  feeding 
value  to  5  lbs.  of  mangels,  and  in  many 
instances  prefer  the  former  on  account 
of  its  relatively  lower  cost  and  the  fact 
that  it  is  more  concentrated  than  the 
beets. 
Under  average  conditions  of  farm 
labor  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  the  cost 
of  growing  beets  will  prohibit  their  gen¬ 
eral  adoption  as  a  source  of  succulence 
for  dairy  cows.  Silage  is  much  more 
economical,  and  beet  pulp  as  a  substitute 
for  beets  has  many  advantages.  I  do 
not  know  of  any  instance  where  mangel 
beets  have  been  cut  and  run  into  the 
silo  with  silage.  A  better  plan  follows 
the  storage  of  the  beets  in  pits  that  have 
been  lined  and  covered  with  straw,  and 
wThere  a  sufficient  amount  of  dirt  has 
been  used  to  cover  the  protected  beets 
so  as  to  insure  them  against  frost  and 
freezing. 
Oats  and  peas  perhaps  provide  the 
most  desirable  green  feed  that  can  he 
seeded  early  in  the  Spring.  Alfalfa  of 
course  can  be  used  as  a  soiling  crop ; 
but  in  many  sections  it  is  impossible  to 
sow  fields  of  Alfalfa  that  will  withstand 
Winter  conditions.  Canada  field  peas 
should  he  used  and  mixed  equal  parts  by 
measure  with  oats  and  drilled  as  early 
in  the  Spring  as  it  is  possible  to  prepare 
the  ground.  Rape  and  Sweet  clover  can 
be  used  to  supply  green  feed  for  swine 
feeding,  but  cannot  be  used  as  a  soiling 
crop  for  dairy  cows.  Early  sweet  corn, 
cow  peas  and  Kaffir  corn  with  Soy  beans 
can  also  be  produced,  but  the  planting  of 
the  latter  must  be  deferred  until  about 
corn  planting  time.  I  think  it  is  gen¬ 
erally  admitted  that  the  dairy  farmer 
who  can  produce  and  store  enough  silage 
to  feed  throughout  the  year  has  most 
economically  and  satisfactorily  solved 
the  problem  of  succulence  and  soiling 
crons. 
WM.  LOUDEN 
Has  been  building 
labor  -  saving  barn 
equipment  for  far¬ 
mers  and  dairymen 
Since  1867. 
Are  Your  Cows 
CONTENTED  Cows? 
FITTER 
LoudeN 
Your  cows'  comfort  is  your  profit.  Give  them  the  same  comfort  in  the 
barn  that  they  get  in  the  pasture  and  they'll  give  you  more  milk  in  the  pail. 
Thousands  of  dairymen  know  from  experience  that  this  is  not  theory  but 
a  proven  fact.  Smooth,  comfortable,  sanitary,  Louden  Steel  Stalls  and 
Stanchions  actually  pay  for  themselves.  Increased  milk  and  cream  checks 
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is  taved  through  less  time  and  labor  spent  in  taking  care  of  the  cows. 
M  fsgi  336  Pages 
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