VOL.LX.
INDIANAPOLIS, MARCH 11,1905.
NO. JO
SILOS AND SILAGE.
Tbe  Experience  of a Noted  Ohio  Cattla
Feeder.
Feedlxg Silage to Beef Cattle.
By Humphrey Jones, Washington, O.
Ceittle feeders everywhere realize the
importance of tlie cheaper production of
beef. "The profits usually are small nnd
oftentimes there is a loss. Assuming that
the law ofi supply and demand controls
the price of the finished product, there appears to be but two ways to increase the
profits of the feeder— to get tlie feeders
cheaper aud to reduce, the cost of finishing the steers.
The use of silage for steer feeding is a
new thing, rand like all new things it is
apt to have its too enthusiastic advocates
who will make extravagant and rexcessive
claims for it. The subject should be discussed and considered impartially and not
after the fashion of the special pleader or
the advocate of some pet theory. The
ti stimony of those having had experience
on the subject, to be of much value,
should be full and complete—tlie whole
truth, because of partial statement of
facts in regard to any matter may be as
misleading as an nlbsolute misstatement.
Our experience   with   silage   for  cattle
feeding purposes began in 1901, at which
time we erected  and  filled  three silos 2G
ft. x -12 ft. having a capacity of about 550
to 000 tons each.    This was followed the
next year by the erection of a cement silo
30  ft.  x 52  ft.   whicli,   according   to  the
rules usually applied to ascertain the capacity   of   silos   of  ordinary   size,   should
hold about 1500 tons, but we have found
that it actually holds about 50 per cent,
more than- all three of our other silos put
togetlner, whicli  figured according    to the
same rules have the capacities above given, so that our cement    silo must    hold
something over 2000 tons.    The contents
of these silos have each year been fed to
beef cattle.    Our silage has been made of
ripe corn grown so as to make the largest
possible yield of grain and nearly ripe soy
Iseans mixed in the silo in the proportion
of about % the former to Vi the latter. In
connection  with  the  silage  we have  fed
clover, alfalfa and oat hay.    Early in our
experience  we  added ear corn  but soon
abandoned    that and    substituted    cotton
seed meal therefore with much better and
more satisfactory results. We have found
that cattle will eat, of the kind of silage
which we have been making, about 5 lbs.
per day per hundred weight up  to 1000
lbs. weight, 50 lbs. per head per day l»e-
ing about the maximum amount, whicji a
steer of any size will eat; that when V* lb.
per hundred weight of cotton seed meal is
sprinkled over the silage the cattle will
< at  slightly  above  one-third  lb.  per  hundred weight per day of clover, alfalfa or
oat hay,  making for  a 1000 lb.  steer a
ration of 50 lbs. silage, 5 lbs. cotton soed
moral and 4 Ilss. of hay, anrl  for smaller
steers proportionate amounts less. In our
later  feeding  operations  we  have  settled
upon this kind of ration for fattening cattle.    Cattle whicli    nre being    carried as
stockers we feed little or no cotton soed
meal, and they eat a large proportion of
clover hay,  proliably 50 per cent.  more.
50 lbs. of corn and soy bean silage, 5 lbs.
cotton- seed meal ami 4 lbs. clover or alfalfa hay for a 1000 lb. steer makes a ration containing about 2.8 lb. protein,  13
ibs. carbohydrates and  1.2 lbs.  fat,  with
a nutritive ratio    of*    nbout    1:5.5.   The
standard  ration   is  protein  2.5  ll*».,  carbohydrates 15 lbs. and fat .5 lbs., nutri
tive ration about 1:0, so that it will be
seen tlint the ration closely approximates
wlutt is thought to be the actual requirements   of  the  steer.    Whatever   the   correct theory may be we know from actual
experience  that the  above  ration  makes
the cattledo better and makes more money
for  the  feed  consumed   than  our  former
practice of feeding the cattle all the shock
corn  they  would  eat with  occasional  allowance of clover hay,  or ear corn  aud
clover hay.    The steers, with this ration,
get about  15  lbs.  of grain  per head  per
day, or about 1 */* lbs. per hundred weight
lor a 1000 lb. steer,    l'rof.  Henry states
that albout 12 lbs. per day of grain is all
a steer of any size can profitably utilize,
and he cites the fact that, the best English and Scotch fooders use even less than
that  amount   of  grain.    We   have   found
by  pretty  careful  tests  that  corn  grown
as we grow it for silage that will yield 50
bu. of  ears  per  acre  will  make  about  8
tons of silage per acre as taken from the
silo,   there  of     course   lning     a     greater
weight as  it  goes  into  the  silo.    If   the
corn were cut green ..according to the practice of many dairymen it would make probably 10 to 12 tons per acre, but we always let our corn get ripe enough to put
in  shock  and  much  of  it    becomes  dead
ripo before going into the silos.    50 bu. of
ears equals 3500 Ibs. of ear for each 10,-
000 lbs. of  silage  which  makes  the  ears
equal about 22 per cent of the total weight
of silage. The soy beans, we think, have a
bout the same proportion of grain to total weight, so that we count our silage 20
per  cent,   grain.    In  50  lbs.   of  silage  n
steer would therefore get 10 lbs. of grain,
and 5 lbs. cotton seed meal added would
make 15 lbs. of grain, or 1 */. lbs. per hundred  weight  for  1000  lb.   steer.    An  important feature,  too, is the fact that the
grain is thoroughly mixed with the roughage  so  that  it. is all  well  digested,   thus
making a smaller grain ration sufficient.
Whether silage, in the case of any particular feeder, should be adopted for steer
feeding, depends upon the net balance of
advantages and disadvantages in his special situation and circumstances. Not all
men, by all means, who handle cattle
should Ibuild silos.
The advantages and disadvantages, as
we have found them, are substantially as
follows:
— The Advantages. —
1. Corn put into the silo has a greater
feeding value than when fed  dry.
Siloing does not increase the food content of the corn. You cannot take any
more out of the silo than you put in, nor
as much, but the increase in digestibility
of the whole plant by reason of the heating and fermentation incident to siloing
exceeds the loss of food mine due to that
process (and there is some) so that there
is a net gain. This gain is not much,
running according to the experiments
made at several of the stations nbout 10
to 12 per cent. This is not enough in nnd
of itself       to justify        ensiloing
the      corn;      it        must lie        re
membered that these exi-eriments
have all been conducted upon the basis of
the dry corn plant boing cared for so ns
to lose ns little as possible of its feed
value and palatability, anil that it has
been prepared and fed in the best possible condition for the cattle to get tlie
largost benefit therefrom. This renders
these experiments of little practical value
to the average cattle feeder, lieeause he
has not such means of caring for the dry
corn plant as is usually employed in making    these      experiments.    With      throe-
fourths of the feeders iu tlie principal cattle feeding sections of Ohio shock corn
only is fed and the corn stands out in the
field all winter and is hauled to the fee«l
lot as needed. Many shocks twist down
and partially or wholly rot, all are soaked
with the rains and beaten by the  winds
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The following table elves the dimension of
ullus, uuiulK'r of cattle tliey will feed IM) days,
and the approximate number of acres of corn
siUge they will hold:
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10
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120
12
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21
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18
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(10
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2)
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 2!
73
209
27
get hard ami woody, and arc thns more
or less damaged. It is a matter of common knowledge among feeders that after
the first of .March the fodder iir shock
corn is of little value. Under favorable
conditions, fattening cattle will eat only
the Irest portions of the fodder, and the
great bulk of it is wasted and thrown out
to keep thom up out of the mud. With
all these things taken into consideration-
the gain in feed value to the average cattle feeder who uses shock corn, by reason
of siloing the eorn is. in our judgment, not
less than 50 por cont. We carry upon the
same land with the same amount of corn
disregarding purchased food, more than
50 per ont more cnttle than we did before we heid the silos, and whatever the
correct tncory of the matter may bo, this
solid  hard fact  is  sullicient  to satisfy  us
lhat vsiy much more can Ir- got ont of the
corn plant fori iu the form of silage than
w hen   fe<l   dry   in   r
practicable with us. i
2.    drains  can  hi
Un' corn plant  in thl
whon fori as shock c
The  average  price
on  the  farms of  Ohii_,-V"  «g n  series of
say 10 years is prolja'r5.      t far from 10
outs i>er bushel.    Th'i&s'     ,-s an acne of
corn makiujf 50 bu. I><!j'""!   - worth $20.00
If the same corn jir-lrls (1 tons per acre of
silage, the value of the silage is $2.50 per
ton, and if no more oxpr-irse has boon put
on the acre of oorn whin  put in tlie silo
them when out, husked anrl cribbed or fed
out   ill   the   usual   way,   the   results   from
feeding each  will  l>o  a   true  index  ot the
nlative cost    of grains.    Our   experienoe
has boen- that the cost of siloing the corn
is  not   as much  as  cutting,  hukking nnd
fes-rling or marketing the corn ill ths' usual
way.    Tln> cash outlay  with ns  in  filling   ,
Ihe silos runs aliout 10 to 50 cents per toll.
The  cost of filling, however,  is a  matter
which  will   vary   according   to  conditions
and circumstances.    Were we putting up
a loss amount of silage so that we would
not ha«_• to hire teams off the farm,  the
■ irst   would   be   considerably     loss,   and   a
small force of men generally can be oper-
iti'd more economically than a  largo one.
With  cotton seed meal  at $25.IK) por ton
(it   usually   costs   us   $21   to   $24.50)   anil
clover hay at $5.00 per ton, the cost of a
days  foci   for a  KKM)  lb.  fattening  steer
(or any largir weight, frrr this is tin- maximum amount any steer will oat) would be:
50 lbs. silnge nt $2.50 por ton $.01
5 Ibs. cotton so-ed moal at $25 00
■1 lbs. clovor hay at $5 01
Total § .11
This ration wc have found will make a
gain fully equal to or greater than a half
bushel pror day of shock corn, ors-a less
amount of corn and all the clover hay the
sloor will oat, and at a very much less
cost. It is true more gain on hogs following cattle fed shock corn will Ise made,
but not nearly enough to make up the difference in the value of the two rations.
It must be remembered, too, that considerable benofit to hogs following cattle fed
-dingo nnd cotton seed meal will accrue.
I logs grow nml do well with no feed but
iho droppings, although a less number can
be carried than with corn fed cattle. Our
gains on cattle thus fed on silage during
feeding periods ranging from 4 to 7
months, have lieon from 1.75 to 2.5 lb.
per day, and we find that they finish much
more evenly, the hair and general appearance are much Ix-tter than corn fed catllo, and especially than cattle which are
fid only shock corn. I "ewer cattle get off
feed or si-dur. In fact such a thing has
almost boon- unknown to us among the si-
luge fed oattle.
3.    Silage is especially well adapted to
carrying stock cattle through the winter.
All  that is  necessary,  for stock  cattle,
where good  sheds nre provided,  is  silage
and  clovor.  alfalfa  or  oat  hay,  and   you
may expect gains of 50 lbs. per month on
cattlo   for  fair   quality.    .V    striking  example occured  in    our noighliorhood  during  the  winter    of  ItKW-i     A.   and     B.
bought    together a  car    load    of    Texas
calvos   alxmt   Nov.   1,   1003,   and   divided
thom by picking turn nbout. \. put his on
a   ration  of   corn   silage   and   clover  hay,
giving all they would ent of each.    B. fed
his  all  thi"  fodder and  clover hay  which
they would eat and in addition fed sludled
corn,  the  amount    not  being    accurately