Aug. 6,1917 Chemical Studies in Making Alfalfa Silage 277 



CONCLUSIONS FROM THE WORK OP 1913 



The results of the 191 3 work show that alfalfa alone makes good silage 

 when finely ground and tightly packed. These conditions are such, 

 however, that it is impossible to realize them in practice. Rye in com- 

 bination with alfalfa made a fair silage, except for the odor of the rye. 

 Alfalfa alone' coarsely ground and loosely packed did not make good 

 silage. Com chop added to the alfalfa made conditions suitable for 

 good silage to such an extent that there is a possibility of practical reali- 

 zation. The addition of water to green alfalfa was in all cases harmful. 



TRIAI^S TO determine; THE INFLUENCE OF MATURITY 



Whether the stage of maturity enters into the conditions for making 

 silage from alfalfa was investigated in the summer of 1914. Alfalfa was 

 cut at four stages of maturity — in the bud, in one-tenth bloom, in full 

 bloom, and in seed — 12 bottles of each stage being put up. The alfalfa 

 was all cut in the feed cutter. The 12 conditions were as follows: (i) 

 green alfalfa tightly packed; (2) green alfalfa loosely packed; (3) wilted 

 alfalfa tightly packed; (4) wilted alfalfa tightly packed plus water; 



(5) com meal from sound com and alfalfa in the proportion of i to 10; 



(6) com meal from germinated corn and alfalfa, i to 10; (7) com meal 

 from germinated corn and alfalfa, i to 20; (8) molasses ^ and alfalfa, 

 I to 10; (9) molasses and alfalfa, i to 20; (10) molasses and alfalfa, i to 

 30; (11) acetic acid and alfalfa, i to 50; and (12) lactic acid and alfalfa, 

 I to 50. Conditions under 5, 6, and 7 would answer the question whether 

 the more easily fermentable carbohydrates in germinated com would 

 be more effective than the carbohydrates of sound com, as well as to show 

 how small an amount of carbohydrate was necessary in order to have 

 the conditions which would produce the requisite amount of acid. 



QUALITY OP SILAGE PRODUCED 



The bottles were put up in May and opened the following December, 

 and at that time the quality of silage was judged by several persons, as in 

 the previous year. When supplements were added to the alfalfa, the 

 results were 100 per cent good or very good. Molasses as a supplement 

 produced a silage of milder and sweeter odor than did com meal. The 

 two acids used gave a silage with a sharp acid odor. Com meal gave an 

 odor that was rather strongly acid. The germinated com meal gave a 

 sweeter odor, somewhat similar to the molasses. The percentage of 

 good silage when alfalfa was used alone was only 25 for the last three 

 stages, and less than that for the bud stage. Observations made at the 

 time that the bottles were opened were to the effect that the quality of . 

 the silage from the bud stage was inferior to that of the three other stages. 

 This experiment showed that alfalfa is suitable for making silage when 

 it is best for hay making. 



1 The use of molasses was suggested to the authors by President Waters. 



