;J62 Oat and Tan S'daye. 



Where moulding occurs, the volatile and non-volatile organic acids are 

 not simply neutralised by basic products, but are actually destroyed. 

 The process is accompanied by large losses of dry matter, the "amides," 

 nitrogcn-frce extractives and ether extract being extensively destroyed. 

 C'liemical evidence of the spoiling of silage by mould development is 

 afforded by a study of the ratio of amino acids to volatile bases in the 

 silage extract. In good silage, the ratio is high; in spoilt silage, the 

 volatile bases may be present actually in excess of the amino acids. 



(I) In all the samples of normal silage investigated, the non-volatile 

 organic acids were ])resent in good excess of the volatile organic acids. 

 Evidence has been brought forward warranting the assumption that the 

 acidic fermentation during the formation of green "fruity" silage is 

 markedly different from that accom])anying the production of brown 

 acidic silage, and it appears jirobable that lactic acid is not the only 

 non-volatile organic acid which may arise as a result of the fermentative 

 action in the silo. 



(.5) The increases in the amount of ether extractable material as a 

 result of ensilage are very variable in the different experiments and bear 

 no relation to the ])ercentage losses of nitrogen-free extractives. 



((!) In every case, the crude protein digestibility of the green oats 

 and tares (as determined in vitro) has been shown to suffer a slight 

 depression during ensilage. 



(7) The outstanding features of the silage "amide" ligures as com- 

 pared with the corresponding figures for tlie green croj) are: («) a large 

 increase in the amount of amino-acids, these forming the bulk of the 

 "amides'" of the silage; (b) an increase in the amount of volatile bases, 

 the latter consisting probably of ammonia which has arisen us a result 

 of hydrolytic changes affecting amides originally present in the green 

 crop. 



(8) Results have been obtained which suggest tliat the cellulose of 

 green oats and tares undergoes to some extent a breakdown during 

 ensilage, resulting in a gain of nitrogen-free extractives and a corre- 

 sponding decrease in the amount of crude fibre. Furthermore, as has 

 been demonstrated in a [irevioiis communication, the crude fibre re- 

 maining in the silage possesses a greater digestibility than that originally 

 present in the green forage. 



{Received Aligns! 7l/i. I!)'2'2.') 



