Xumbur of ban 



Amount of true j Green oats I 

 protein exjiressed ; and tares ) 

 as percentage of : (Jat and ] 

 crude protein ) tare silage j 



The hydrolytic changes affecting the true protein constituent appear 

 to proceed to the greatest extent during the ensilage of the moist un- 

 wilted oats and tares. Thus in bags 1, 2 and 3, containing unwilted 

 material, the change caused a disap])earance of roughly 50 per cent, of 

 the true protein, this being associated with an increase in the amount 

 of "amides" of about 100 per cent, in the case of bags 1 and 2 and 

 74 per cent, in the case of bag .3. A bigger increase in the amount of 

 "amides" would undoubtedly have been registered had it not been for 

 the loss of soluble nitrogenous constituents in the large volumes of juice 

 draining away from these bags, since in bags 4 and 5, containing wilted 

 oats and tares, and where little or no drainage occurred, a .splitting up 

 of 30 per cent, of the true protein was accompanied by a 120 per cent, 

 increase in the amount of "amides." The shghtly wilted material in 

 bag 6, which was converted into silage possessing a high moisture content 

 compared with that of the silage of bags 4 and .5 and which suffered no 

 losses on account of drainage, suffered a large loss of true protein 

 (44 per cent.) and the "amides" were augmented to the extent of 138 

 per cent. 



The material filled into bags 7 and fS had obviously been subject to 

 change during the time it lay out in the field, since only 70 per cent, of 

 the crude protein was in the form of true protein. The changes in the 

 character of the nitrogenous constituents were not nearly so far reaching 

 in these bags as with the material in the other bags. In bag 7, only a 

 fifth of the true protein was hydrolysed and the "amides" were only 

 increased by 44 per cent. In bag 8, where extensive spoihng occurred, 

 only II per cent, of the true protein disappeared and the "amides" 

 were only augmented to the extent of 9 per cent. In the actual spoilt 

 portion of bag 8 silage, the true protein formed a larger proportion of 

 the total crude protein than was the case in the original oats and tares 

 placed in the bag, the rotting of the material having to a large extent 

 used up the "amides." 



The above results indicate therefore that the ensiling of "sappy" 

 unwilted forage leads to conditions which are favourable to the ex- 

 tensive splitting up of true protein into "amides." From the nutritive 

 standpoint, it is uncertain whether this can be considered advantageous. 



Jonrn. of Agric. Sci. xn 24 



