Dec. 2, 1908.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S. W. 1013 



for analysis, and the bulk weighed into a sack, sewn up, and thrown into the 

 silo. This operation was repeated sever-al times during the filling, so that at 

 the end we had several sacks buried at different depths in the silo, each con- 

 taining weighed quantities of maize of known composition. 



The maize is green when cut and far from being ripe. Its composition 

 depends very much on the season ; in warm, dry sunnners there is about 

 20 percent, of dry matter, while in cold, wet seasons only about 13 per cent, 

 is found. 1 The difference falls almost entirely on the nitrogen-free extract, 

 so that if the nitrogen-free extract and water are added together the sum is 

 very fairly constant. The nitrogen, fibre and ash show only slight differences- 

 from year to year. Most of the nitrogen (about 80 per- cent.) is present as 

 true protein, not much amino acid or amide being present at the time of 

 cutting. The nitrogen-free extract contains a certain amount of sugai', which 

 appears to be mainly dextrose, but no starch. The juice is slightly acid to- 

 litmus paper, and contains gallic acid, but we could find neither lactic, malic, 

 succinic, nor volatile fatty acids. Distillation with hydrochloric acid caused 

 fuifurol to be liberated from the pentosans. 



Table 1. 



Average percentage composition of green maize, end of September and early 



October. 2 



The crop is never quite even ; it is possible on the same day to pick out 

 large, well-advanced plants, with hard, woody pith, growing alongside of 

 smaller plants, less mature, with soft pith and much more juicy. The 

 difference in composition lies mainly in the water content, the dry matter 



being jiuicli the same in l)oth. 



' The crop varies in the same way, and is much greater in warm than in- cold seasons. 

 The difference in the amount of good stuff per acre is therefore very con.siderable. 

 - For details of the methods employed see the Experimental Part, pp. 389 <7 ^^7. 

 3 1 sample. ^2 samples. ' '" 2 samples. ^ 7 samples. " 1 sample. 



