Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1939, Page 91
SELF-DEPENDENCE IN CATTLEFEEDING 83
labour which in regard to the future is very important. Develop-
ing suitable elevators which can be connected with the mow-
mg-machine, only a man for the mower, drivers and a man
for the silo are needed in the silage-making. The transfer of fod-
der from the cart to the silo can also be considerably mechanized
when necessary.
After fodder preservation had been solved, it was possible
to change completely the cutting times of the clover-rich grasses
and thus to obtain winter silage, which in comparison with the
previous dry hay is of quite different class both as regards
digestibility and protein content. This is due to the fact that the
earlier the plants are cut, the greater is their digestibility and
protein content, and, secondly the losses in hay-making are
about 3 times higher than in the preparation of A. I.V. silage.
For instance, of red clover before budding stage 1.0—1.2 kg.
dry matter are required to make one feed unit which contains
160—170 g. digestible protein, whereas in full flower the required
amount is 1.5 kg. dry matter and in spite of that the feed unit
contains only 100—120 g. digestible protein. Due to the loss
occurring in the drying of hay, which affects particularly the
digestible substances, 2 kg. dry matter are required of hay from
flowering clover to make one feed unit. If A. I. V. fodder, in
which the losses are slight, is prepared from young clover, 1.2—
1.3 kg. dry matter make one feed unit, containing 160 g. dig.
protein.
When the first cut is made into A. I. V. fodder as early as
the beginning or middle of June two more cuts are obtained per
season, which are likewise easily digestible and rich in protein.
From the clover rich fields of first and second year three cuts of
excellent production fodder are thus obtained by the A. I. V.
piethod, unless summer is very dry, in which case the second crop
poor. By means of such a fodder no high-protein concentrates
are needed, and also the use of home-grown concentrate, oat, can
be reduced. To illustrate this we may give for example a feeding of
cow with a daily yield of 20 kg. 4 % milk, by using the old feed-
mg method and the new one based on the A. I. V. fodder.
Former feeding
New feeding..
A. I. V. Hay f. u. Oat f.u. Soya f.u. Total
fodder f.u, Roots f.u. Feed units Digestible protein, g.
. — 4.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 11 1390
. 7.0 i-5 — 1.0 11 1360