Virginia farmers who haw lw-u discussing the pros and com of feed ing alfalfa silage to dairy calvt ' should be interested in a recent less at Pennsylvania State University, belieyes Dr. W s tbiffitli. a- * taut dairy bu bandmau ' VPl Dr Griffith explain- that fm years books on dairy cattle feeding and management have indicated that silage was of little value for the dairy call In Virginia, many | farmers find it easier to make high quality silage than t-> make hi: h quality hay The Pennsylvania | tests hold some good news on tin value of alfalfa silage in the die of the young dairy calf A total of 94 Holstein and Guern sev calves were used in the test The calves were cm trial j from six days of age through It; weeks. So long as each calf received a mini mum of three pounds of grain daily, the free feeding of alfalfa silage pi^jmoted normal growth with lust as good gains as did al falfa hay Although one group of calves was permitted to eat hay and silage in. addition to the three pounds of gram daily, that group did not gam any faster than the group on silam without hay. Dr Griffith says many dairy calves m Virginia are eating poor quality hay. and this isn't good enough for normal growth A good hay-crop silage can be used to good • advantage.

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