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Show IS SILAGE A GOOD FOOD FOR HORSES Farmers and owners of horeca will do well to consider tbo question that has been before the public the past fewdnya an to whothor or not sll-.ago sll-.ago la a good food for horoos. Tho Kepublican recently published the fact that a farmer at Richmond had lost four horses through the feeding of silage. sinco that tlmo tbla samo farmer haa loot two more horses through the tamo causa. In our last Issue Mr. Leroy Funk of Richmond who Is a prominent student stu-dent of tho U. A. C. contribuUd n interesting and valuable article on the subject. llrat of all let it be distinctly, understood un-derstood lhat in this or any dlscua-sdon dlscua-sdon that may follow, there is and "will bo no Intent or desire to do injustice, in-justice, harm or work against the movement which haa b; ought many xflos of Cache county. The desired nd is to ubo tho silo to the best ac-vantagc, ac-vantagc, and above alt to prevent tho 1083 of life. With this statement the question may then bo declared a live Issuo and opon to dtscustilon along these lines. BTlio most the article first publish d In The Republican said was that 5 tallage, cither corn or sunflower, was i not a good food for horses, but was. I a splendid food tor cattle. Our state ment'waa based first on the fact that 1 Tour horses had Just died - through in the eating of silage. We arc slnco sk djhnformed that ono farmer at Rich jnond lost nine, horses one year ago If through tho Eame cause, and since ft our first articlo two more horses tl havo died through the samo cause. "N'o baited our reason on, the statements state-ments brought to us through a farmer farm-er who got the statements from n j veterinary surgeon who diagnosed ! the cases. Wb are since Informed that the samo surgeon has read our nrtlclo and pronounced It nllrlght Now then, ( If this surgeon Is wrong vn are wrong, but there, is one dead ( sure thing ond.that.ls'thattho' hors- I (H died. j Now as to Mr. Fnnk'a article. Ho I first distinguishes botween ellBge. 1 Haying that tho horse must havo died from "other causes than the feeding of sound ellago.." That may bo truo, the pllago may have been unsound; but It was ellage Just the iamo. He then quotes from Henory and Morrison wheyeln the, conclusion la, l that it '"is prcforablunot to fcod It na a sola roughago, rather using it H . a partial substitute for hay," all of m which 1b good sound dlcrlne. H He then quotes Nourso of the Vtr- H Klnla station, 'who admits that there H is trouble In feeding of silage to horses, and says that tho "trouble K caused by feeding Bllago to horses m jomcs from not gradually accufltom-H accufltom-H ing tho animals to this feed, feeding B too heavily," etc. That says a great, B deal, for In "accustoming the onl-H onl-H imila to this feed" a great many may H he lost. At least In the feeding tho HE xrcateat care should be exorcised. IK Mr. Fuuk then contributes some VMM fcvnluablo information from Trow-lBbridgo Trow-lBbridgo of tho Missouri station who M 8a'8 -na "horses hard at work can-mLm can-mLm not bo expected? to consume heavy BE allowances of allngo on account of ill Jti bulky nature," another Important I'm that it Is well ror formers to H Icet i in mind. H Pearson of ho University of Penn- H fjlvimla, accrdlng to Mr. FunH. at S tributos tho death of five horeos to 9 "mouldy Bllago." This "mouldy sil-B sil-B nB" dovejoped paralysis of the ft throat. B Mr. Funk then gives "owe valu-'Hn able Information from 'the. opinion of Dr. Frederick or tho U. A. C and cloaca by Baying that farmerirshbuld "tako precaution to seouhut the animals an-imals get no mouldy silage. Llttlo danger somes from feeding sound Bllago Bll-ago to borees and with dry feed It lr 'a good part of tho ration." From the discussion bo far It may bo concluded that there Is danger in feeding silage of all kinds to horses great danger from tho fact that many horses have died through eatlax It Tho deaths mfly have occurred through the feeding or unsound rtJt-ngo, rtJt-ngo, or Jlirough feeding It under )m-' )m-' proper conditions. There Is "llttlu danger from sound silage," according accord-ing to Mr. Funk, but In feeding- II raro should bo taken to bco that II dooa not constltuto the entire diet, thaf. it Is "sound," 'that it Is not fed hoavlly to horses hard nt work. etc. The Republican will he glad to publish to tho extent of its limited ' rpace discusslonB on this matter that : will be of benefit to tbo farmers of I ho community. V |
