SILAGE VERSES TURNIPS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3148, 15 July 1914, Page 15

SILAGE VERSES TURNIPS.

By J. A.

A WORD IN FAVOUR OF ROOTS-

Of recent years a great deal has been written in favour of silage as against other, kinds of fodder as a cattle food. In the Journal of Agriculture for Juno Mr -W. Dibble writes thus:—“Root crops cannot ho depended upon; silage can. Moreover, roots are costly to grow—indeed, when the cost of their production is carefully calculated it will be found that they are often more expensive than the preparation 'of • silage, and quite discount the argument often urged against the preserved forage, that h is too costly either to make the stack oi to fill the sdo. Further, there is the present risk of disease with root crop* which makes this method of stock-feeding k more or less precarious one. Roots must also be- fed at a certain time; whereas silag* can be kept almost indefinitely, and thet»* fere need only be used at the most convenient period. I have had no experience of conditions in the North Island, and probably, as applying there, where* roots, are said to bo a more precarious crop than they are ia the south, and where there is a more abundant summer growth of crops suitable for the silo, what Mr Dibble says may not be wrong, but, as applying to the southern districts, I hold he is entirely mistaken. There is no more dependable crop that wa grow in the south than foots. Using ordinary common-sense methods, the experienced farmer gets his crop every time, and that at far lees expense than it would taka to fill an equivalent quantity of silage into a silo. As to disease, finger-and-toe and dry rot in swedes are a trouble; but for dairy cattle swedes are not in any cass the most suitable. The softer turnipa* which are not troubled with these ills, ara better. In some of the drier districts on the east coast the well-known cabbage blight has occasionally done a good deal of damage; but, again, it is the swede that suffers most, and this happens only in such seasons as would make the production of silage crops almost impossible. Thou, as to time of feeding, that _we do not grow roots for midsummer feeding is quite true; but from April to September they are ia season all the time, and if it is an advantage to have silage in summer time, wo In the south do not seem to have felt the need. —A Comparison. The writer has had many years’ experience growing roots for winter feeding of a dairy herd, and has been faddist enough to build a silo and try silage also; hut ha found that the work of filling, and particularly of unfilling, has a wonderfully cooling effect. The food is good; the cattlo like it but the labour attached to it soon leads the farnfer—more especially in view of present labour conditions—to. the conclusion that ail is not gold that glitters. Let us look into the question a little closer and see. what the work actually is in each case. Mr Dibble says 401 b silage at each of two meals per day is enough for a dairy cow. Feeding for five months, which is the usual time for . such work in the south, each cow would consume about one ton per month, or five tons for the five months. If we take a herd of 40 cows, which is a fair average in a dairy district, it would require about 200 tons of silage to feed them for the five months. Now I have to make a guess, but I would say that not less than 20 acres would be required under the most favourable circumstances in the south to grow sufficient forage to produce 200 tons of silage. That land has to be' cultivated, manured, and sown with aa much care and expense as would a simiknr area of roots. Then it has to bo harvested and carted into the silos, and with all the labour-saving appliances that can be applied, the lifting of enough fodder to make 200 tons of silage is still something that counts, so far as labour is concerned. To feed it out again to 40 cows would mean two loads of 15cwf each daily. I do not know what it is like' to lift it out when it has been through the chaffcutter on the way in; but if it has been put in whole it is only suitable work for a dentist. The farmer who undertakes to cart out 400 loads of silage will, of course, knowing hia climate, take into consideration the needs of his roads in the way of gravel. Now let us give the figures 6n the other side. A dairy farmer usually considers himself fairly safe if he has one acre of good turnips for each three cows he has to •winter; and so he is. In order, however, to place the matter beyond loubt we shall reckon one acre for two cows. In that caso the 20 acres that is required, to produce the silage will also produce sufficient turnips for 40 cow’s. There is no need to go into the relative cost of production. The work, to produce the desired result, must be thorough in either case, and, with the aid of up-to-date implements, tho cultivation required, for the one will not be much different from that required for the other—that is, of course, reckoning cultivation only. In tho case of the roots there is no harvesting and carting and filling into a silo. Then, in the case •of feeding, it is necessary on most farms to do some carting ; but by far the larger portion of the feeding is done by simply opening the gate for the oow r s to go in on a break. It means a day about once a month to shift stakes and barb wire for a new break ; but that is nothing as compared with the labour of feeding with silage. To most practical dairymen I think these figures will appeal at once—that is, in so far as they concern

the south. In the North Island conditions ate altogether different, and there it may well be that silage will take a very prominent place in so far as the feeding of dairy stock is concerned. THE VIEWS OF A RADICAL FARMER. INTERVIEW WITH MR JAMES PATRICK. As the question of ensilage versus turnips is an important one to dairy-farmers in the south, and remembering that Mr James Patrick, of Lee Creek Farm, near Outram, had been experimenting with ensilage, it was decided to interview him with the object of ascertaining whether his experience would result in a confirmation of the views so strongly expressed by “J. A.” The genial master of Lee Creek Farm expressed his willingness to answer any question put -to him, and give any information in his possession for the benefit of others “I find ensilage a very valuable asset on a farm,” said Mr Patrick, ‘‘if it is well got in and secured. I made two large stacks of ensilage three years ago, and I am just finishing the last of it. I fed it to both cattle and horses, and they did very well on it. I do not consider ensilage to be equal to turnips. In the first place,, turnips are the best crop for clearing land, and if you get a good crop—6o tons to the acre is quite a common crop in a good season —nothing that you can grow in the south for ensilage will go so far. Then to make first-class ensilage the labour question has to be considered. You require to have a good crop of grass or green oats for ensilage, and if it could be made into first-class hay I would prefer that to ensilage, because it is much easier to handle and there is no waste. In the Old- Country all farmers find that good hay is more economical than ensilage, and that is the reaeon why so much ensilage is made. Of course, if a farmer has a /addock of rubbish such as thistles, wild oats, tares, etc., the most profitable use to which he can put it is to cut it green and make ensilage. But farmers as a rule do not want a crop of that description. Ensilage will not compare with a crop of, say, 50 to 60 tons to the acre of turnips, as the most you could expect of ensilage would be 10 tons to the acre. Then the manorial value of turnips being fed off is of considerable value to the land for the following crop and pasture. No system of farming brings the land into a higher state of cultivation than the growing of turnips, feeding them off, and then sowing down in grass. On the other hand, the man who went in for growing stuff for ensilage would find he is impoverishing his land. Of course, in hot climates such as in Australia, and even in the North Island, where there is a great flush of grass at a particular time of the season, generally followed by a dry period, usually in January and February. I would say that ensilage is a most useful product; but I am certain good hay would be as good and quicker and cheaper to handle. In Australia where they can grow heavy crops of maize, it frequently pays to turn ic into ensilage where dairying is carried on; but I do not think it would* do so for ordinary stock-raising.” Mr Patrick added that where sledgee were used and up-to-date appliances were available for hoisting the loads on to the stacks, carting was not necessary, and the amount of labour reduced to a minimum; but granted everything in its favour, ensilage in most parts of the south would not compare with turnips. If the dairy-farmer, wanted feed for the late autumn he would be inclined to favour the many-headed cabbage, kale, or rape. After a general conversation with Mr Patrick on farming in New Zealand. Australia, and the Old Country, a most informative interview came to a close.