One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture AnsweredWickson, Edward J. (Edward James)
Science
One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered
Wickson, Edward J. (Edward James)
Agriculture -- California
Sugar beets would probably keep all right if stored in a silo just as
they might if kept in any other receptacle, but it is not necessary to
store beets for stock-feeding in this State. They can be taken from the
field, or from piles made under open sheds in which the beets may be put
because more convenient for feeding than to take them from the field in
the rainy season. Beets put whole into a silo would not make silage. For
that purpose they would need to be reduced to a pulp, but there is no
object in going to the expense of that operation where beets will keep
so well in their natural condition and where there is no hard freezing
to injure them. Beet pulp silage is made from beets which are put
through a pulping process for the purpose of extraction of the sugar
and, therefore, best pulp silage is only made in connection with
beet-sugar factories and is a by-product thereof which is proving of
large value for feeding purposes.
Feeding Value of Spelt.
What is the food value of spelt? It is a Russian variety of wheat, and
yet, I am informed, it has about the same value as a stock food that
barley has.
We have no analysis of spelt at hand. It is presumably like that of
barley, as you suggest, because the spelt has an adhering chaff as
barley has. This fact makes it better for feeding than wheat, not in
nutritive content, but because the chaff tends to distribute the starchy
material, making it more easily digestible; just as barley and oats are
better than ordinary wheat for stock feeding.
Concentrates and Corn Stalks.
Is it necessary to feed mulch cows any hay or concentrated feed in
addition to green corn stalks?
It is necessary. Green corn is an excellent thing for milch cows, but it
is a very unbalanced ration and needs alfalfa or something else to
balance it up. Green corn, for example, contains only about one per cent
of digestible protein and 11.5 per cent of digestible carbohydrates and
0.4 per cent fat, or a nutritive ratio of about 1 to 12 1/2. A proper
ration would be about 1 to 6 or 7, or less. To balance this up alfalfa
can be fed better than anything else in California, for that is very
rich in protein and the cheapest supply of protein that there is. If you
give the cows a good supply of alfalfa hay with the green corn, you will
have an ideal combination.
Dry Sorghum Fodder.
Is Egyptian corn fodder good for cows? I have been told it would dry up
the milk. I have several acres and would like to feed it if it is not
harmful.
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