A. Amos and H. E. Woodman ;361 



the loss of these constituents is not appreciable. These facts must be 

 considered in conjunction with the importance attaching to the inorganic 

 salt content of a foodstuff from the nutritional standpoint. If, for 

 example, silage is to be utilised in feeding dairy cows, it is undesirable 

 that the green crop should sustain large losses of inorganic salts during 

 ensilage. 



Summary. 



Experiments have been described which had primarily as their object 

 the investigation of the effect of varying moisture content in the green 

 oat and tare crop on the type of silage produced from such forage. The 

 magnitude of the changes affecting the constituents of the green crop 

 under the different conditions of ensilage have also been detailed. 



The main conclusions are summarized below: 



(1) The ensihng of a fresh green crop in an early stage of maturity 

 (soon after flowering) with Httle or no previous wilting, and with a fer- 

 mentation temperature in the neighbourhood of 25° C., leads to condi- 

 tions which favour the production of green "fruity" silage. The results 

 of the experiments suggest that with this type, a considerable loss of 

 dry matter may result from the process, especially if much drainage of 

 sap occurs. The same conditions appear to be favourable to the ex- 

 tensive splitting up of true protein into soluble nitrogenous products; 

 more than 50 per cent, of the true protein of the green crop may be 

 transformed into "amides," an appreciable pro]iortion of which may be 

 lost, together with inorganic salts, in the drainage juice. 



Thus, though green "fruity" silage is much relished by stock and 

 possesses excellent feeding value, yet its production may be accom- 

 panied by substantial losses of crude protein and soluble salts. Loss by 

 drainage should therefore be obviated. 



(2) The ensihng of a moderately dry crop, dried either by wilting 

 or by allowing the crop to mature, produces conditions which favour 

 the production of the acid brown type of silage. The production of this 

 type of silage is accompanied by a relatively low loss of dry matter, the 

 amount of juice drainage from the silo being very much smaller than 

 that occurring during the production of green "fruity" silage. Approxi- 

 mately .30 per cent, of the true protein of the green crop is spht up into 

 "amides." 



(3) The ensiling of material which has undergone prolonged wilting 

 and extensive rain-washing does not produce a good quality of silage, 

 and the forage displays a tendency to become mouldy during the process. 



