OCR Text |
Show Grass Silage Use Growing, AD Says The United States Department of Agriculture reports a rapid increase in-crease in grass silage making during the past few years. The increase has been from 1.5 million tons in 1944 to eight million tons in 1951, when latest figures are available. U. S. D. A. gives the following three reasons for tbe rapid growth: 1. Increased acreage and yield of grassland crops. 2. Need for preserving more and better feed for livestock. 3. Better methods of harvesting, harvest-ing, storing and feeding grass silage. All grass silages properly made from fresh green crops, or with dry materials added, will provide enough carotene, if fed liberally, to produce milk with a good yellow yel-low color and a high vitamin A content. Wilted silage will also contain enough carotene for the production of high vitamin A milk, if properly made from an early-cut early-cut crop. Maximum utilization of pasture and low-cost grass silage will provide pro-vide the lowest feed cost. Grass silage with a moderate moisture content (65 to 75 per cent) made from forage cut at an early stage of maturity will come nearest meeting all the essential requirements require-ments of such a program, U.S.D.A reports. |