The Conservation of Green Fodders for the Dry-Season Feeding of Stock

Abstract

There are three main methods of fodder conservation open to natives as well as to European farmers in Tanganyika. The European settler could use any of these methods but the native still has to be educated to them. A simple system of rotational grazing properly organized and controlled is the first method which should be encouraged in native communities. This system conserves the fodder in situ without labour, but it is wasteful of valuable nutrients. Once the value of this method has been proved to a native community, haymaking should be encouraged. The third method of fodder conservation, the making of silage, will not be introduced successfully into native husbandry until the native has been educated to appreciate quality not only in his animals but in their products.