RESULTS OF SILAGE INVESTIGA- TIONS WITH HIGH PROTEIN UNWILTED FORAGE AT THE NEW YORK STATE COLLEGE Or; AGRICULTURE

Silage is not a replacement for good pasture management, but it is a means of making the most of a sound grassland programme. It is an effective method of preserving surpluses of immature forage for use when pasture is in short supply or completely lacking. While quality silage is an excellent feed it is still a substitute .for the original product-pasture herbage. The problem in making silage is to produce a nutritious and palatable feed and to keep the loss of nutrients at a minimum. A nutritious forage must be high in digestibility ; there is little point in feeding a product which animals cannot utilise. The digestibility of a forage can be influenced slightly by fertility and moisture levels, but is primarily dependent upon stage of maturity when harvested. Immature forage is high in digestibility;’ mature herbage is low in digestibility. A nutritious forage should supply much or all of the protein requirements of animals, especially in areas where proteinrich supplements are expensive. The percentage of legume in the mixture and the nitrogen level of the soil have a marked influence upon the protein content of forages. But fortunately, for any given situation, immature forage is higher in protein than mature forage. Thus, high digestibility -and high protein content tend to go together. Cutting the forage while it is young is the first step in making quality silage; the next step is to preserve it in such a manner that a maximum of the nutrients will be conserved and that the silage’will be palatable. Prevention of all fermentation would be