iB 195 P3 ‘opy 1 Spotled Silage Its Cause and Effects ~ SPOILED SILAGE Sour Silage Moldy Silage Rotten Silage Frozen Silage Its Cause and Effects (The sure cure is the preventive) by JOSEPH PASCOE SCOTT PRINTING COMPANY Minneapolis, Minnesota a = u\ Oe Copyright, 1915 by JOSEPH PASCOE uf Y ©cia420177 JAN ~3 1916 ‘ho |. © *a): <=J' ae PREFACE A small cause or neglect often has a great effect. The experience the author has had with Silos and Silage, since the year 1889, no doubt will prove inter- esting to many, as well as a source of profit. The intentions are to give this information in as brief a form as possible by eliminating all irrelevant matter, at the same time including nothing but what has been experienced by many silage feeders. The author lays no claim to the origin of silos and silage. What he knows regarding it, he owes to others. He has, upon various occasions, taken whole passages from other writers to prove his claims, without fearing the accusation of plagiarism. The feeding value of good, sweet silage and the profits derived from the same are no longer questioned, they are recognized facts. But, in showing the profits obtained from feeding good silage, we should be care- ful and not overlook the possible loss which is the result of feeding spoiled silage. If the author has been suc- cessful in making this plain, he will feel repaid for his labor. THE AUTHOR, November 24, 1915. CHAPTER i UB: 5 eae Be 6s) erica BO CHAPTER . Lot 2.) ote3.) Wioteitoten Cost per 100 lbs. gain (pork credited at $6.00 per cwt.)..$6.46 $6.03 $6.27 $5.99 $6.28 Selling price per cwt. in Chicago 6.25 6.25 6.10 6.45 6.35 Profit per steer after deducting expense of marketing ...... 2.82 4.79 2.09 7.41 4.08 One of the chief considerations in selecting rations for fattening cattle is the finish produced. The market value per hundred weight is considered the most definite means of judging the relative difference in finish. Con- sequently, in accordance with arrangements, a com- mittee of expert market judges, who knew nothing of the rations fed the cattle, placed market values on the various lots. Lot No. 4, which received a ration of shelled corn, linseed oil meal, corn silage and clover hay made maxi- mum gains in live weight, produced the most econom- ical gains, were the best finished and yielded the great- est profit per head. 24 The Farmer Proved the Experimental Station to be Correct. The following is a letter from one of the best farm- ers and cattle feeders in the State of Nebraska, and is offered as additional proof that when good silage is fed to cattle, nothing but the best results follow. It is not only gratifying but certainly must be very encouraging to the different State Experimental Stations to know their demonstrations have met with’ success. When Mr. Mitchell decided to use silage for feed, he imme- diately opened up a set of books and kept an itemized account of every transaction. The writer was a member of the committee which audited Mr. Mitchell’s books. Both the committee and the bank were satisfied the account which is set forth in Mr. Mitchell’s letter had been kept correctly. Yutan, Neb., June Sth, 1913. To Whom Concerned: “Tn the year 1911, I purchased a 100 ton silo, with a guarantee that if the silo did not pay for itself the first year they would take it down and return me every dollar I paid for it. Having confidence in the firm, I gave my order for a silo and immediately opened a set of silo accounts, which resulted in a handsome profit after the cost of the silo had been deducted. “Tn 1912, I gave my order for another silo, as my first silo was not large enough. I used the first silo for stock cattle and the 120 ton silo for feeding pur- poses, and the results are as follows: “T bought 35 head of feeders; I bought 18 acres of corn at $15.00 per acre; I bought $30.00 worth of cot- tonseed meal; I fed $120 worth of alfalfa, and after 25 deducting commissions, freight, yardage, interest and expense of filling the silo, I find that I made a net gain of $808.40 or profit. “My farm is located about one mile northeast of Yutan, Nebraska, and is sufficiently large to handle about 50 head of cattle the old way of cattle raising, but with the aid of my silos I can handle about 125 head of cattle with less than half of the work and twice the profit. Should any one question the above facts and figures, | extend a welcome to any person to come and see that these statements are backed by the commis- sion merchants, the bank and the scales. “Carefully submitted, I remain yours truly, “FRITZ MITCHERES 26 CHAPTER VIL THE MILCH COW. HOUSTON. The milch cow is the one animal that can be re- ferred to as being the mother of the farm, the producer in every sense of the term. She supplies us with meat, milk, butter, and cheese to eat, and with her hide we are supplied with coats, mittens-and shoes to wear. In a word, the milch cow is the farmer’s best and most dependable friend, and when he makes a wild specula- tion and gives as security, the farm, immediately he turns to his friend, the cow, for assistance. She, with all but human intelligence, always stands willing and ready to do her part, she goes down in the records as a mortgage lifter. She works without ceasing; night and day are the same to her; her labors are never ended until she has accomplished the desired end, even to the sacrifice of her young, which may be driven away to the slaughter block. So determined is she that the debt shall be paid, the mortgage shall be lifted, that she gives up all for her master. Thus, the extreme necessity and importance of the 27 milch cow would certainly solicit full measure in care and humane kindness, regular and liberal feeding of the choicest kinds of nutritious feed, warm, clean and sani- tary accommodations in her home, together with gen- tle treatment. The results of good care and kind treat- ment means larger production and better quality, which is the cow’s method of showing her appreciation. The example of reciprocity is very beautifully and forcibly set forth in the book of Luke: 6, 38. “Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” The milk of the cow, which was designed by na- ture for the benefit of the calf, has been appropriated by man through the avenues of science, whereas dairy- ing is now recognized as being one of the greatest and by far the most independent money-making industries known to man. There are many very important features connected with this great industry which is the outgrowth of sci- entific research of dairying. First, the science of utiliz- ing all of the milk produced by the cow in the making of the best grade of butter, cheese, etc., without waste and with the least amount of expense. This is the science of butter-making. Second. To supply the cow with a milk-producing feed that is best adapted to her conditions for the yield- ing of the greatest amount of milk at the least expense. This is where good sweet silage plays an important part. You should feed liberally if you want an abund- ance of milk. The cow has a hard work to perform and it requires all the feed that she can eat, with the least exertion, to give the best results. 28 Third. There is an unspeakable profit, which comes from kind and gentle treatment of the cow. She will express her gratitude and appreciation of your kindness, by following you wherever you will permit her. At milking time she will call for you, and through her gentle lowing one can not be mistaken as to her meaning. It has been truthfully said that “a man who is kind to his cattle is always the best neighbor:” How- ever, the cow may be scolded, run down by the aid of dogs, whipped because she failed to find the right stall, kicked or beaten with a milking stool by a cross, peev- ish keeper, who expects the cow to know more than he does himself (which is very often the case). The cow which has been so punished never fails to “play even.” She will hold out on her milk, and if the opportunity presents itself, she will do a good job of kicking. Now, then, who taught this cow to kick? Who taught her to be ugly and hold out on her milk? Ask her keeper. The cow is exactly as he trained her (this is the negative side of dairying). A man who has invested his money in lands, cattle, and the necessary equipment to operate a dairy farm, and then misuse or fail to feed his cattle liberally, is certainly very short-sighted indeed. At this junction the writer wishes to correct a com- mon “hearsay argument” which is afloat and of an erro- neous origin, regarding silage and the effect that it is supposed to have on cattle. In some localities it is not an uncommon thing to hear, that, “silage is the cause of cattle losing their teeth.” Then again it is given out, that, “silage fed cows will not live over five or six years.” Upon this particular subject the writer has endeav- ored at various times to trace such statements back to 29 their origin, but in each case nothing could be learned except “hear-say arguments,” which were without cause or foundation. The reports of silage feeders is quite to the reverse and certainly is very gratifying to know that feeders have proven such arguments to be untrue. To throw still more light upon this subject, the reader’s attention is called to the picture of “Houston,” which heads this chapter. This remarkable cow was born in the year 1895 and after serving her time with the Experimental Station of Minnesota, went to make up the car load of cows, which was sold on the mar- ket in the year of 1914. This lot of dairy cows had been fed good sweet silage nearly all of their lives, and some of them all of their lives, at least until they had passed the period of usefulness, which was from 17 to 20 years in the service. Chiet T.-L. Haecker, of the State University Param informed the writer that at the time of selling the above mentioned car load of dairy cows, that, “they were strong, vigorous, healthy cattle and that as far as he could determine their teeth have never been affected in the least by the feeding of silage.” The information that is disclosed in the handling of this car load of cows, is all that is necessary to refute any and all “hearsay arguments” that have ever been made regarding the life of cattle or the loss of their teeth, by the feeding of silage. The following is an extract from “How to Make Creamery Butter on the Farm,” by McLaughlin. “Feeding the dairy cow, should be done right after milking time, in which case feed flavors largely pass off through channels or secretions other than the milk, and 30 are not so noticeable. However, most dairymen and farmers understand this, and there is very little milk spoiled from this cause. “The feeding of the dairy cow is a very important matter. The composition of feeds is an interesting sub- ject. Most feeds can and should be grown on the farm. The idea of feeding dairy cows simply to dispose of crops is ruinous. The successful idea nowadays is to farm to feed dairy cows. “Various experts have agreed that corn silage is probably the best and cheapest source of succulence. There should be a silo on every dairy farm, which should be used for the purpose of furnishing this val- uable necessary milk-making food during the winter and the dry months of the summer. Corn, oats and barley are splendid for supplying carbohydrates and dry matter to the dairy herd. All these can be raised almost anywhere. So can clover, alfalfa, sweet clover, vetches, cow-peas, soy-beans, and Canadian field peas. Fach of these crops are rich in protein and ash. If you will feed hay, made from any of these leguminous crops, together with all of the corn silage that the cow will eat you will find that it will form a balanced ration that will be succulent, and also that the carbohydrates and fats in the corn silage will be balanced by the protein and dry matter in the hay. This will form a splendid ration for cows giving, say, from 15 to 20 pounds of milk per day. “Tf you are living in the corn belt, you will find that ground corn and cornmeal is a splendid and a cheap concentrated food. This should, in your case, form the basis of the ration. Such zw ration supplies everything necessary except the protein, ash and the necessary va- riety. It would be well, however, to add such additional 31 rations as ground oats, bran, oil meal, dried distillers’ grains, gluten feed or some other food rich in gluten. “Another very well balanced ration, when fed in conjunction with an abundance of corn silage, together with any of the leguminous hays, is a mixture of two parts of ground corn, one part of ground oats and one part of either one of the commercial by-product protein foods. “The above ration should be supplied to each cow at the rate of one pound each day to every pound of butter-fat that the cow yields each week. This is a very inexpensive ration. Furthermore, it gives the cow ex- actly what she needs to make the most milk, and the greatest percentage of butter-fat. “Right in this connection we might say that there is one special time that is best of all for starting the bet- tering of the feeding methods of the dairy herd. This time is about four to six weeks before the cow is due to freshen. At that time it is best to turn the cow dry and then feed her abundantly. It must be borne in mind at this time that the greatest profits are returned for the feed used in preparing the cow for the work that is to come. It is best that the cow be as high as possible in flesh at the time she freshens. Otherwise too great a percentage of her food will be consumed in maintaining her, building her flesh, strengthening her stamina and not making milk, as it should. It is at this time that the cow that has been well fed with corn silage and good roughage that is high in protein, together with a care- fully balanced grain ration, yields the biggest profit to the dairyman. It is then that he begins to pocket the dividends that he has earned by his careful handling of the cow in her dry period. 32 “Aside from the fact that corn silage proves one of the best rations for milch cows, it is also one of the cheapest. “Wherever farmers have tried out this method of feeding the dairy herd, the economy has been at once evident.” 33 CHAPTER VII. WHICH SILO IS THE BEST FOR USE. This subject has been discussed and argued very extensively from the speculative viewpoint. Many spe- cialists abuse by misusing the speculative, to further their interests in a commercial pursuit. The practical, which is the sensible standpoint of view, clearly demon- strates, that any kind of a silo is better than no silo at all, but some silos are much better than others, viz. 1 Some silos will stand better than others. 2 Some silos need more attention than others. 3 Some silos will preserve feed better than oth- ers. 4 Some silos will keep feed preserved better than others. 5. Some silos will freeze, while others will not. So strong are the arguments in favor of the differ- ent kinds of silos, that are presented by drilled and trained specialists that, very often, the prospective pur- chaser is at a loss to determine the kind of a silo he really wants, unless he understands something of the merits and demerits of silos. For that reason the above mentioned points have been given, leaving the field open for each man to decide for himself, the kind of a silo that he wants. However, it is very plain that the best silo to have is the silo that will preserve feed the best and will keep the feed best preserved. Before buying a silo, the purchaser should have a fixed idea as to what he might expect of the silo, then 34 consider the elementary features that enter into the construction of the silo that will produce results which will correspond with his ideas. These are all important and very essential; first, the exclusion of air; second, the retaining of heat; third, material that will not retard the curing process (or natural preservation) which takes place during fermentation, is the right kind of material for silo construction, regardless of the cost. A silo is a mortgage lifter. A silo is the farmer’s private bank, in which he owns all of the shares and stocks. So important is it, that the best building mate- rial is none too good and by far the cheapest. A silo that does not meet with the above men- tioned qualifications is only a trifle better than the old method of piling chopped fodder in the barn yard, left unprotected, subject to the hazardous conditions of the elements, where it will heat, ferment and undergo all the chemical changes necessary for natural preserva- tion, but the loss is too great. The danger that sur- rounds the feeding of it to animals is increased many times, instead of being diminished. A silo without an air-tight roof, is like unto a bake-oven without a top. Instead of retaining the heat, it is allowed to escape. A silo should have doors that can be opened and closed at the time of each feeding so as to prevent air-currents, through and within the silo. This subject (silo doors) is fully discussed under that heading, which you should read. 35 CHAPTER IX. THE SILO DOOR. MN) Realizing the need of a more perfect silo door system, the Author of this volume devised and caused to be patented in 1915 the Duplex Silo Door, as shown in the above picture. 36 The door is in two parts (or halves) and operates in a single frame, hinged on a vertical pintle, which makes it possible to operate each half-door independent of the other. Thus only one foot of silage need be removed before the door can be opened. Each half-door is provided with a heavy iron cross- bar, forming a perfect ladder from the bottom to the top of the silo. As one ascends the ladder, his weight is never on the door of the silo, but is transmitted through the vertical cleats to the sills of the silo; thus the door cannot sag, pinch, bind or get out of shape. Further information regarding this silo door will be cheerfully given. During recent years there has been a great deal said, pro and con, regarding silo doors. In fact, some salesmen talk doors to the prospective purchaser more than they do silos. Because of these and other exist- ing facts, the writer proposes to give those who are interested in this subject, the benefit of his twenty-six years of experience, and will endeavor to present the features of the silo door logically and wholly upon its own merits, “hewing close to the line, letting the shav- ings fall where they will.” This will be substantiated by a few citations from the different State Experimen- tal Stations, which will serve, as a basis for the solu- tion of the subject that has an important bearing on air- tight receptacles. It is a foregone conclusion, that, to obtain natural preservation by fermentation, a silo must be air-tight. This is accepted by all as being true, and it is admitted without further discussion that the air causes silage to spoil. Then, where is the argument? It needs no words of explanation. The door ofa silo should be kept closed, 37 so as to prevent air-currents from coming in contact with the ensilage. The ordinary size of a silo-door is about 22 inches wide and about 32 inches high, and usually made from material of the same thickness as that of the silo wall. This door when saturated with the juice of silage weighs between 60 and 75 pounds. Thus one can read- ily understand what a perilous proposition it would be, if not an utter impossibility, to open and close the silo door each time silage was taken out, without having such doors provided with hinges. Is it possible for the reader to imagine himself, unwise as it may seem, cling- ing to the side of a 30 foot silo, holding to a weak form of a ladder with one hand, and with the other reaching high above his head trying to replace a heavy door in its frame, which he was obliged to force open with a hammer?- What are the results? The door of the silo is left open, thus, exposing the silage to all the hazard- ous conditions of the atmosphere, thereby, ignoring (through ignorance or neglect) the fundamental princi- ples of preservation, which is, that a silo must be air- tight. The air causes silage to mold, rot, freeze and spoil. Yet it is claimed by some that “it is no damage to silage to leave the doors open.” But their arguments are absolutely wrong, as wrong can be, and in order to protect themselves in making such a statement, they commit another wrong by saying, “One must feed off 2 or 3 inches of silage daily.” The analysis of this statement is no less surprising. If one is obliged to feed out 2 or 3 inches of silage daily, what is the result? One is feeding 2 or 3 inches of more or less damaged silage, or why are you obliged to feed out so much every day? It is plain to be seen and easily understood that if the door had hinges so that it 38 could be closed it would greatly assist in keeping silage from spoiling. Results are what count, and you can’t get the best results and have your silage exposed to the air. To be fair with those who are opposed to the above explanation, the writer will meet them half way, by ad- mitting that during the time which elapses from one feeding to another, the physical appearance of the silage is not so badly damaged that it might be called rotten silage, but from the time that the air strikes it until it is fed the first stages of decomposition have set in and it requires the “chemical test’ to prove that it is not as good a grade feed as that farther down in the silo. In many cases the odor is sufficient to show that it is partly decomposed. To verify these claims please note the following citations: EXPERIMENTAL: STATION. OF . NE- BRASKA, BULLETIN, (NUMBER 138. “When silage ferments, carbon dioxide gas is thrown off. This gas is heavier than air and is transparent. As it is heavier than air, it settles to the lowest place and stays there unless carried away by air currents or some other means.” Again in Bulletin Number 138, under the heading, “Amount to Be Fed”: “As soon as the air comes in contact with silage, fermentation becomes active and the silage soon spoils.” Thus, it would appear that there are two conditions to stimulate fermentation; a fermentation that causes preservation through the juice of silage and exclusion 39 of the air, and a fermentation, caused by decomposi- tion of vegetation, at the time of feeding as the results of the air. EXPERIMENTAL STATION OF 1OWe BULLETIN NUMBER 100. “The silo doors should form an air-tight joint. It is desirable to prevent the freezing of silage in the silo during cold weather as far as possible. Freezing of silage is due to the loss of heat: first, through the silo wall; and second, to the air in contact with the feed- ing surface.” EXPERIMENTAL STATION OF COLUMBIA MG: BULLETIN Nia: “Do not feed sour silage, moldy silage, rotten silage, or frozen silage to animals.” The writer takes this method of showing the farm- er the importance of keeping the doors of his silo closed, as long as feed is being taken out of the silo. He has also tried to prove that his claims are true by referring to the different Experimental Station reports in the form of bulletins. 40 CHAPTER: X: SPOILED SILAGE AND ITS EFFECTS. Every subject of merit will bear investigation from various angles. Many magazines and journals of today have their columns filled up with silos and silage, until they take the appearance of a hand-bill for a depart- ment store announcing a big sale. The articles written today are exactly the same as those written ten and fifteen years ago, notwithstanding there are hundreds of new and useful experiments being conducted an- nually for the purpose of demonstrating some useful discovery. It would seem that those who are endeav- oring to champion the good cause of silos and silage, attempting to show the farmer the profits derived from its use, would not leave the farmer in darkness to eke out by experience the amount of his loss, which over- shadows all profits, if spoiled silage is fed to his animals. Knowing the need of and the difficulties experienced in obtaining information on this subject, the following has been prepared to aid those who are inexperienced. Because of the similarity of the conditions and effects which moldy and rotten silage has upon live stock, it is thought best to treat both subjects under one heading. Moldy Silage. Moldy silage is one of the stages of decomposed silage which makes it dangerous to feed to any kind of live stock. It is the direct result of the lack of care and precaution that fodder must have during the time of 41 filling the silo. Mold spots will appear any place within the silo where the fodder has been allowed to form piles and not evenly distributed, the surface being left to settle irregularly, which will form air-pockets. The mold spots are the results. If fodder is ensiled too dry, cut in long lengths, without adding water to the fodder at the time of filling the silo, it is possible, if not prob- able, that mold nodules will form throughout the entire silo. Please read article “How to Fill the Silo.” Rotten Silage. Rotten silage may or may not be the direct cause of air-pockets in the silo. However, it is more reason- able to understand the air was not properly extracted through the lack of tramping or packing during the time the silo was filled. Nevertheless, it is a certainty that after the fodder passed through the conditions of fermentation, the air was permitted to come in contact with the ensilage, which was the cause of its rotting, and rendered it worse than a loss for feeding purposes. Rotten silage is more frequently noticed in silos nearest the wall or doors, which is due to the lack of pressing, thus causing the ensilage to settle inwardly and away from the wall or door, forming an air-chamber in which the air has unrestricted circulation. In order to furnish the best information obtainable on the effects which come from feeding moldy or rotten silage, much time has been spent with veterinary sur- geons, college professors, and an extended research of authorities on surgery. It was learned that the best cure for horses, sheep and cattle that might become affected as a result of eating spoiled silage, lay in the preventive, as all methods of treatment so far have proved of no value. 42 The disease from feeding moldy or rotten silage is called “Cerebritis, Cerebro Spinal-meningitis.” Effects on Horses. ima ON my {We HT aa AMIASY ea \ ReAN\\\\ oi \ 1 : ‘ ron 3 \ ER Bal a\NES WY A eS “¢ W: WN oe ‘ ny v~ RY N) Wk 3 \ i) | \ Say 8 . i, AN By Py f ‘ \) & ~ Pure-bred Percherons fed Silage and Hay only, no Corn. W.S. BOLHES, Enid, Okla. The symptoms of the horse are unsteadiness in its walk, weakness, trembling of the voluntary muscles, difficulty in eating and swallowing, delirium, and in most cases death comes to its relief. Others are affected by “mad” or “blind staggers” and the only relief found in many surgical books was a prompt and effective lax- ative; then waste no time in calling a good surgeon. Effects on Cattle. The symptoms in cattle are the loss of appetite, constipation, weakness, heavy breathing due to the fill- ing of the lung tissues with poisonous gas. They, like the horse, become delirious and in many cases die. Cattle are not affected so easily as the horse, but sheep are affected more easily than either the horse or cattle. Their sickness is of less duration and death comes more quickly. It is hoped that the reader will not get the wrong 43 meaning of this article, and what it is intended to con- vey. It is the intent of the writer to recognize good, sweet silage, as not only a profit and a benefit in the widest sense of the word, but the cheapest succulent feed known, while moldy, rotten and otherwise spoiled silage is a damage and very dangerous to be used as a feed. This is the chief cause of dissatisfaction amongst silage feeders. Possibly nothing has ever done more to discourage the farmer in the building of silos than to learn from his neighbor, who has a silo, that he had sickness or suf- fered a loss in his herd when he was feeding silage. This farmer, who would have been a prospective pur- chaser of a silo the next year, without knowing the real cause of the trouble, immediately goes on record by saying “No silo for me,” and starts a little campaign of his own, simply because the fodder was not properly taken care of, and, too, the feeder did not know of the danger and effects of spoiled silage. The object of this book is to show the profits of silage, by instructing the farmer how to safeguard his interests against a possible loss. 44 CHAPTER XI. FROZEN ENSILAGE. If there is one subject in this book that the writer hopes to make more plain than another, it is the subject of frozen silage, so that the farmer may become thor- oughly conversant with the truth and facts which his own experience teach him. At the present day and age, nearly every magazine or journal in the country has a long, striking article of some kind on the profits and needs of the silo for the farmer, and the good results that he can obtain from feeding good, sweet silage, all of which is correct. Then possibly the very next edition, if not the same one, gives out this startling information, “Silage is not materially damaged by freezing,” and finishing the story by citing as reference some party in a distant land, who knows no more about a silo than what he had read through some article, which originated from the same source as the one he, himself, was instrumental in having printed. Thus, the farmer who is not accustomed to feeding silage takes it for granted that should his silage freeze it is not damaged, so it is immaterial whether his silo has doors to open and close or a roof to prevent freezing. Possibly the next information that he gets is “When silage is frozen dig it loose, pile it in the center of the silo, where it will thaw-out ready for the next feeding, and its feeding value is in no way impaired,” and many other statements equally extravagant. After the farmer has fed a few feedings of frozen silage (or silage which has been frozen and then 45 thawed-out), it is he who comes in contact with the mys- terious results, and it is he who begins to reflect, and, one after another, those imaginary statements, which he formerly read, are censored and blamed for not only the damaged condition of his feed but for the unfavor- able results which are sure to follow. Many, yes, hundreds of farmers who have experi- enced the results of feeding frozen silage have been heard to say, “I would give $100.00, if I could prevent my silo from freezing,” for two reasons. One is, it is an arduous task to pick frozen silage loose, and second, ice water to drink and ice silage to eat do not bring good results when given to any kind of an animal. Suppose we weigh the above mentioned statements on the scales of actual experience, then compare those results with at least a barn-yard analysis of frozen silage and see if we can arrive at an intelligent conclusion. The Loss. The loss by frozen silage is not necessarily confined and restricted to the few paltry dollars which is repre- sented in the cheapness of the feed, nor should it be con- strued to mean only a dead animal. But feed of any kind that will deflect the appetite or otherwise impair the normal condition of an animal is, and should be so considered, a loss and poor stuff to feed. The right way to show the farmer the profit ob- tained from having a silo and feeding silage, which has been heretofore mentioned, is to safeguard his interests against a loss, which is hereinafter mentioned. Symptoms of Milk Cows. The milch cow, when fed frozen silage, loses its appetite, refuses to eat or drink, becomes bloated. When 46 standing it usually holds its head lower than normal, apparently cold, and the loss in the production of milk tells the story. The milch cow that is fed a ration of silage that has been frozen and thawed-out becomes weakened, and is subject to a severe attack of scours. Symptoms of Beef Cattle. After giving a lot of beef cattle a feeding of frozen silage, they go off from their feed so quickly that there could be no question as to the cause. The animals will refuse to eat or drink, will nose about the feed, but have no appetite to eat. Bloating is very noticeable. The frozen feed which has been eaten begins to ferment and thaw, and a gas forms in the lung tissues, the digestive system has been chilled and is inactive. This may last for a period of two or three days, when the animal either gets better or dies. Beef cattle which have been fed silage which has been frozen and then thawed-out are subject to severe attacks of scours. Symptoms of Sheep. The sheep, the most delicate and sensitive animal on the farm, poison easily and die quickly. Whole herds of sheep have been affected by a single feeding of damaged silage, frozen, moldy, rotten or soured. They do well on good, fresh silage. Experimental Station of Columbia, Missouri. Bul- letin Number 9, Page 65. “Damaged silage should not be fed to any kind of live stock, but good, fresh silage is a fine feed for sheep. If fed judiciously, they like it, and will thrive on it in the winter time as if they were on good pasture in the summer.” The bulletin gives a very 47 interesting explanation of what might be called dam- aged silage or spoiled silage as follows: “Do not feed sour silage, moldy silage, rotten silage or frozen silage.” This bulletin refers to the feeding of silage to all kinds of live stock. The citation regarding sheep is here given, as whatever a sheep will thrive on any other kind of an animal will do well on. Symptoms of the Horse. The horse after he has had a feeding of frozen silage becomes sick more quickly than the milch cow or the beef. He staggers and circles in his walk, he lays down and gets up very frequently. When laying down he throws his head backward. His kicking and attempting to roll over shows that he is in much pain or cramps. Drenching with a quart of sweet milk, or a pint of molasses mixed with warm water or drench- ing with a good laxative has been known to give relief. The cure that is sure, lays in the preventive, which is a safeguard against the loss. The reader of this article will now sum up all of the evidence which has been introduced and judge ac- cordingly, determine for himself, whether or not “silage is not materially damaged by freezing” or “when silage is frozen dig it loose, pile in the center of the silo, where it will thaw-out ready for the next feeding, and its feeding value is in no way impaired.” 48 GRAND CHAMPION STEERS FED SILAGE. Fifteen silos, ranging in capacity from 200 to 250 tons, will be in use this year on the ranch of Henry B. Johnson of Chickasha, Okla., the most important cattle feeder in the Southwest and one of the best known cattlemen in the country. Six silos were filled on the ranch last year and steers made such big gains on silage combined with other feeds to make a balanced ration that Mr. Johnson decided to treble his silo capacity. Among the steers which were fed silage last year was a herd of 30 Aberdeen Angus cattle, two-year-olds, which were declared grand champions at the Fort Worth Fat Stock Show last March and which were bought by Swift & Co. for $12 a hundred pounds, the highest price ever paid in the Southwest. Their aver- age weight was 1,360 pounds and they dressed 63.90 per cent. They came from the herd of James W. Knox of Jacksboro, Texas. Mr. Johnson’s cattle have won sweepstakes and grand championship prizes for the last six years and he holds the record for top prices at four markets—Kansas City, St. Louis, St. Joseph and Fort Worth. His steers are known the country over and command a premium. Since feeding silage Mr. Johnson has increased his profits $10 on each steer he sends to market. His in- vestment in the six silos is $3,300. He fed the contents to 1,200 steers, on each of which he made about $10, leaving him a profit of $10,800 or a net profit of $7,500 after the silos had been paid for. He says there is no other way to make such a saving feeding cattle. The silo capacity of the Johnson ranch, with the completion of the nine new ones, will be 3,510 tons, and this will be mostly Kafir and corn silage and will be fed to some 49 3,000 to 4,000 steers this winter. There are 25,000 acres in the Johnson ranch, of which 400 are alfalfa. Erected Silos in a Hurry. Mr. Johnson erected his silos late and had to hurry to fillthem. Into the first two he put corn and into the last four Kafir, Milo and cane. The feed kept well and was started feeding October 4th. To one pen of 300 two-year-old steers he fed a ration of 25 pounds corn silage and 4 pounds of cotton seed meal for sixty days. They were Hereford cattle and did well. A herd of Aberdeen Angus two-year-olds were also fed the same ration. A bunch of white face yearlings and a herd of Angus yearlings were also fed about the same ration. At the end of sixty days all the corn silage was used and Kafir and cane was fed, to which was added a ration of 8 pounds of corn meal and 6 to 10 pounds of cotton seed hulls and the cotton seed meal was increased to 5 pounds. The first shipment of red cattle went to Kansas City and brought $8.10'a hundred and averaged 1,266 pounds. The next shipment weighed 1,178 pounds and brought $7.90 and a third lot weighed 1,164 pounds and brought $7.80 a hundred. A fourth ship- ment to Kansas City weighed 1,160 pounds and brought $7.65. The black two-year-olds also went to Kansas City, where they brought $8.00, $7.90, $7.80 and $7.65, with an average weight of 1,150 pounds. The year- lings sold for an average of about $7.75 and averaged 900 pounds in weight. These cattle were not weighed in the feed lot, but Mr. Johnson and his trained assist- ants guessed the yearlings to average about 700 pounds and the two-year-olds about 850 pounds. Comparing his feed bills with past year’s, when hulls and cotton seed meal, ground corn and alfalfa hay were fed, showed that the expense of fattening cattle had been reduced 50 $10.00 a head. Mr. Johnson, asa result of this experi- ment, considers corn silage one of the richest feeds he ever tried. He is also well satisfied with Kafir, espe- cially since it can be depended upon to make an annual crop in spite of adverse weather conditions. His Silage Ran Out. Toward the close of the feeding period Mr. Johnson found that he did not have sufficient silage to continue feeding at the rate he had started and he was compelled to cut down the proportion of silage about ten pounds ahead. Years of experience in feeding cattle, however, convinced him that it was the silage which was making the big gains in the weight of his steers and this year he will be prepared to fatten fully three times as many steers as last winter. Mr. Johnson believes in cutting his silage into as small pieces as possible, not larger than \y-inch in length. This enables the cattle to eat every particle of the feed and not waste any. He has installed a 40-horsepower Ross silage cutter and blower. This stands in his big steel shed when not in use instead of out in the open to rust as so many farmers treat their machinery. “No farmer, big or small, can afford to be without a silo,’ Mr. Johnson told the writer. “It is the only way to feed cattle at a minimum of cost. Any other way will cost a man just from $8 to $10 a head more. Silage increases the flow of milk at least half and young cattle will make faster growth on silage than on any other kind of feed.” Mr. Johnson keeps books on every steer on the place. He is a very busy man, being a director in the First National Bank of Chickasha and having many interests throughout the state. He is also president of 61 the Chickasha Milling Company and a director in the Chickasha Cotton Oil Company. He is considered to be the wealthiest man in the county. He once handled cattle on the range and is an adept in roping a steer. He personally superintends every piece of work on his large ranch and is in the saddle or in his automobile early and late giving orders or making inspections. His home in Chickasha is one of the finest in the state, but he is loyal to his humble home in what was the old Indian Territory. “A farmer can’t expect to succeed if he dogsamay watch the leaks,” is one of his favorite sayings. As an instance of his quickness in stopping leaks may be cited his erection of a feed mixing shed because he noticed that much feed was being blown away by the high winds. This was especially true of cotton seed meal. He says enough meal is wasted in that manner on dozens of farms to rob farmers of their profits on a herd of cattle. He says there is no limit, apparently, to the number of cattle that can be fattened on his ranch, ex- cept the inability to get young stock enough. He isa believer in high grade stock and pure breeds and has no use for “scrubs,” which he says can never make anyone any money. While the erection of nine more silos on his ranch will keep him busy for a while, he says he probably will erect more just as soon as he is ready to handle more cattle and has raised enough feed to carry them through the winter. In the old cattle days it took eight to ten acres of grass to keep a steer in feed. If this land were put into Kafir one acre probably would keep ten steers, provided the season was favorable—The Southwest “Braal 52 CHAPTER” XIL ALFALFA AS A USEFUL PRODUCT. Alfalfa is comparatively a new crep in the United States, but is destined to come rapidly into general use. There are few farmers whose profits would not be in- creased greatly by raising alfalfa. Every farmer should aim to produce, as far as possible, all his foodstuffs on his own farm. During the last few years, the area devoted to alfalfa has greatly increased in the region west of the Missouri river, and it is certain that there will be an equally rapid increase throughout the eastern part of the United States. Many of the attempts in the past to grow alfalfa in the humid regions have failed, but with our present knowledge of the requirements of the crop there will be little, if any, more trouble in securing a stand of alfalfa than of clover. However, the methods followed in securing a catch of clover will almost certainly fail with alfalfa. Do not be hasty in concluding your stand is poor. It frequently shows up to better advantage the second year. In case the stand is not satisfactory, it is gener- ally better to use the same ground for a second trial than to take a new field. Why we need alfalfa. There is no combination of feeds so economical for the production of pork, beef, butter and eggs, and for growing animals as corn and alfalfa. Neither will give the best results alone. We need alfalfa because it balances up the corn ration and 53 saves the large waste of starch which always takes place where corn is fed alone. We need alfalfa because we can in this way grow on our own farms the protein more profitably than we can buy it in feed stuffs. We need alfalfa because it feeds the soil and enables us to grow larger crops of corn and oats. We need alfalfa because it produces, on an average, double the feed value per acre of clover or any other forage crop. Alfalfa a poor weed fighter. Alfalfa, when small, grows slowly, and is not a good fighter, that is, it can- not compete with weeds, and especially with crab grass and oats, wheat or barley, as the case may be, and when these are cut off, the alfalfa is in no condition to com- pete with fox-tail and other weeds during the dry weather of July and August. When sown in the spring without a nurse crop, there is a constant struggle with the weeds during the entire season, and the weeds gen- erally come out best, leaving a poor, patchy stand of alfalfa. Manure and inoculation most important. There is no one thing that will do more to insure success than ‘the application of twelve to fifteen loads of good barn- yard manure to the acre. Land well enriched with manure is almost certain to produce a good stand of alfalfa. Lime can almost always be used to good ad- vantage, and the benefits are especially striking on com- pact clay soils that have been cropped for many years. In regions where alfalfa has not been grown, it is found to be very beneficial to inoculate the ground by sowing three or four bags of soil secured from a field where alfalfa has been grown for a number of years; or, where it is more convenient, artificial cultures such as “nitragin,”’ “farmogerm,” etc., may be applied. Where alfalfa has not been grown before it may make 54 the difference between success and failure. The appli- cation of acid phosphate or fine ground bone meal is always beneficial, but cannot be regarded as absolutely essential to success. Well prepared seed bed essential. A well pre- pared, firm, solid seed bed, plenty of good barn-yard manure and summer fallowing to kill the weeds, are most important. Lime? Yes, one to two loads per acre, and by all means inoculate. Ground too wet for corn is not suited for alfalfa. Alfalfa seed may be either drilled, or sowed, broad- cast and harrowed in, or even disked in, especially if the surface of the ground is dry. The seed can be more evenly distributed if one-half is sown in one direction and the other half sown at right angles. It is always a good plan to sow the seed a little thicker around the edges of the field, as this portion of the field is more subject to injury from insects, fox-tail, etc. While it is the custom in the humid regions to sow twenty pounds to the acre, ten to twelve pounds of seed per acre are sufficient. If evenly distributed, this will give from fifty to sixty seeds for every square foot, while one thrifty plant to the square foot is sufficient. Alfalfa on the farm. Remember that alfalfa can be grown on your farm. It is no more difficult to grow than clover and is more hardy when once established. It adapts itself to all kinds and conditions of soil and climate. Alfalfa produces three and sometimes four crops per year, in the corn belt. Alfalfa is the cheapest source of protein. When wheat bran is worth $22.00 per ton, good alfalfa hay is worth $20.00 to $22.00 per ton. Alfalfa is the most enriching crop we have, and 55 insures larger yields from the crops that follow. When a good stand is once secured it lasts for four or five years in the humid regions, and much longer in parts of the west. Alfalfa can be fed to all kinds of animals and has no superior as a hog pasture. Alfalfa adds humus to the soil and resists drought better than other crops. As hay alfalfa has no equal. It is rich in protein, the very thing in which our corn and most other crops are deficient. Therefore, it balances up the ration and saves the purchase of high-priced feeds. This article on alfalfa certainly carries with it a great deal of weight, as it was prepared by one of the best, if not the best agriculturists in the United States, Prof. P. G. Holden, who formerly was connected with the Experimental Station of Iowa. ; 56 = ee a a ee a CHAPTER XIII. TECHNICAL TERMS DEFINED. Albuminoids. A group of substances of the high- est importance in feeding farm animals, as they furnish the material from which flesh, blood, skin, wool, casein of milk, and other animal products are manufactured. (See protein.) Ash. The portion of a feeding stuff which remains when it is burned, the incombustible part of feeds. The ash of feeding stuffs goes to make the skeleton of young animals, and in the case of milch cows a portion thereof goes into the milk as milk-ash. Bacteria. Microscopic vegetable organisms usual- ly in the form of a jointed rod-like filament, and found in putrefying organic infusions. They are widely diffused in nature, and multiply with marvelous rapid- ity. Certain species are active agents in fermentation, while others appear to be the cause of certain infectious diseases. Balanced ration. A combination of feeding stuffs, containing the various nutrients in such proportions and amounts as will nourish the animals for twenty- four hours, with the least of nutrients. By-products. A secondary product of an industry ; cottonseed meal is a by-product of the cotton oil in- dustry; skim milk and butter milk are by-products of butter making. Carbohydrates. A group of nutrients rich in car- bon and containing oxygen and hydrogen in the pro- portion in which they form water (Hydrogen two 57 parts; oxygen one part, H*O.). The most important carbohydrates found in feeding stuffs are starch, sugar, gums and crude fiber. Carbon. A chemical element, which, with the ele- ments of water, makes up the larger part of the dry matter of plants and animals. Carbonic-acid. (Carbonic-acid-gas.) A poison- ous gas arising from the combustion of coal or wood. It is formed in all kinds of fermentations and therefore occurs in deep silos. It is colorless, tasteless, odorless and heavier than air, therefore settles over the surface of ensilage, until disturbed by air currents or some other means. Casein. The protein substance of milk which is coagulated by rennet or acids. Concentrates. The more nutritious portion of the rations of farm animals embracing such feeding stuffs as wheat, bran, corn, oil-meal, etc., synonymous with grain feeds of concentrated feeds. Fodder corn (corn fodder). Stalks of corn which are grown for forage, planted very thick, from which the ears or nubbins, if any, are not removed. Corn stover. The dry corn stalks from which the ears have been removed. Crude fiber. The frame work forming the walls of the cells of the plant (often referred to as being fibrous). It is composed of cellulose and lignin, the latter being the woody portion of plants and wholly indigestible. Digestible matter. The portion of feeding stuffs which is digestible by animals, 1. e., brought in solution or semi-solution by the digestive fluids, so that it may 58 serve as nourishment for the animal and furnish mate- rial for the production of meat, milk, wool, eggs, etc. Ensilage or Silage. A natural preservation of plants by exclusion of air. (See silage.) Enzymes. An unorganized or chemical compound of vegetable or animal origin, that causes fermentation, as pepsin or rennet. Ether extract. The portion of a feeding stuff dis- solved by ether; mainly fat or oil in case of concentrated feeding stuffs; in coarse fodders, fat, mixed with a num- ber of substances of uncertain feeding value, like wax, chlorophyll (the green coloring matter of plants). Feed unit. A quantity of different feeding stuffs that has been found to produce similar results in feed- ing farm animals. Feeding standard. A numerical expression of the amounts of various digestible substances in a combina- tion of feeding stuffs best adapted to give good results as regards production of animal products, like beef, pork, mutton and milk, etc. Fermentation. (Derived from fervere, to boil.) A chemical term being used to designate a peculiar class of metamorphoses which certain complex organic materials are liable to under pressure and exclusion of air. Indian corn. Zea mays, the great American cereal and fodder producing plant. Hydrogen. A chemical element, a gas. Combined with oxygen it forms water; combined with oxygen and carbon it forms carbohydrates; combined with oxygen, carbon and nitrogen (with small amounts of sulphur and phosphorus) it forms the complex organic nitrog- enous substances known as protein or albuminoid sub- stances, which see. 59 Legumes. Plants bearing seeds in pods and in- directly capable of fixing the gaseous nitrogen of the air, so that it becomes of value to the farmer and will supply nitrogenous food substances for farm animals. Some of the legume plants are clover, sweet-clover, alfalfa, cow-peas, soy-beans, vetches, etc., which are of the highest importance agriculturally as soil renovators. Moldy silage. A stage of decomposition, caused by air. Nitrogen. A chemical element, making up four- fifths of the air. See hydrogen. Nutrient. A food element or group of food ele- ments capable of supplying nourishment for animals. Organic matter. The portion of the dry matter which is destroyed on combustion. Oxygen. A chemical element of which the air is composed of about one-fifth, and in the combination of two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen forms water. See hydrogen. Preserving gas. (A term frequently applied to carbon-dioxide-gas.) A gas heavier than air and is commonly found in deep silos and wells. It settles to the lowest surface and remains there until disturbed by air currents or some other means. It is caused from the decomposition of vegetation, and is very dangerous. Protein. A general name for complex organic compounds mainly made up from the following ele- ments, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Pro- tein crude, includes all organic nitrogen compounds, while true protein includes such nitrogenous substances in feeding stuffs as are capable of forming muscle and other tissues in the animal body. Ration. The amount of feed that an animal con- sumes in one day. 60 Roughage. The fibrous, coarse or rough part of plants, from which it takes its name and includes such feeding stuffs as stover, hay, straw, corn fodder, etc. Rotten silage. A stage of decomposition of vege- tation. It is worse than a loss. It is very dangerous and should not be fed to animals of any kind. Silage. (See ensilage.) Silo. An air-tight cylindrical structure used for the natural preservation of green vegetation, where it undergoes certain chemical changes. Spoiled silage. The condition of silage as it ap- pears in any one of the following forms: moldy, rotten, frozen, sour, frozen-thawed, or air-dried, all of which constitutes damaged silage, and if fed to stock the best results should not be expected. There are three ways to test silage: the chemical test, which is the most ac- curate, the aroma and the physical conditions of the silage, which is the most commonly used. Succulent feed. Fresh, sweet ensilage. (See en- silage. ) Summer silage. It is feed, siloed in the fall and held over until the next summer when it 1s fed to stock to take the place of pastures. This is becoming popular in the middle west, especially with dairymen. 61 CHAPTER XIV. THINGS TO BE REMEMBERED. A loss does not necessarily mean the death of an animal, but anything that will cause the animal a set- back is a loss, with a double meaning. Should the feeder of silage persist on feeding dam- aged silage to his animals, it matters not whether it is fed through the folly of an experiment or through sheer ignorance, the results are the same, and a long chain of complicated troubles will certainly follow. Don’t feed rotten silage. Don’t feed moldy silage. Don’t feed frozen silage. Don’t feed sour silage. Don’t feed silage that has been once frozen and then thawed, it is damaged. Don’t harvest the corn too green, wait until it is more nearly matured. Don't feed stock too much silage on thejstare Light feeding, then gradually increase the ration, will give the best results. Don’t feed silage that is too dry, it causes soreness of the mouth. Don’t cut silage more than one inch long, shorter if possible. Don’t leave the door of the silo open, air causes silage to spoil. Don’t leave the roof off (or open) on the silo, heat will escape. 62 Don’t store fodder in the silo too dry, add a little water. Don’t give animals ice water to drink, it chills them. Don’t allow any animal to stand and lay down in mud or manure. Don’t feed the milch cow silage before milking, but immediately afterwards. Don’t scold, kick and lose fellowship with the milch cow, she is a producer. 63 Three Mortgage Lifters ee The Silo The Manure Spreader The Cream Separator ai vaty nel ee 24 Vis bay 7 opt te Pi Bis, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS iii,