Aug. 6,1917 Chemical Studies in Making Alfalfa Silage 287 



increase in titrable nitrogen in bad silage as compared with the good 

 is very slight, and in some cases is nil. 



Comparison between the amount of acidity and titrable nitro- 

 gen. — This comparative study can best be made by noting the number of 

 cubic centimeters used in the acidity and in the formol titrations. In 

 good silage the number of cubic centimeters used in the acidity titration 

 is always greater than the quantity used in the formol titration, and the 

 difference is greatest in the best silage. Where the acidity titration is 

 equal to or less than the formol titration, the quality of the silage is 

 poor. In the very bad silage the decrease in acidity is very large, while 

 the increase in titrable nitrogen is comparatively small, if any. In bad 

 silage it is not the increase in titrable nitrogen that is most notable, but 

 the decrease in acidity. This decrease in acidity is due to molds using 

 up the acids, and also to neutralization of acids by basic nitrogenous 

 compounds. This latter will be discussed further. 



Ratio oe total nitrogen to nitrogen in amino form. — The large 

 amount of titrable nitrogen in relation to the total is remarkable. The 

 ratio between titrable nitrogen and total nitrogen in good silage made from 

 fresh alfalfa is i to 3 4- , and in good silage made from wilted alfalfa it 

 is I to 2 + . In bad silage the amount of titrable nitrogen is almost as 

 large as the total. In the very bad silage nearly all the nitrogen is in 

 this form. This is not due so much to the relative increase of titrable 

 nitrogen as to loss of total. In the splitting of the protein there is an 

 absolute loss of nitrogen. In this experiment there was no attempt to 

 make a careful measurement of this loss; but to judge from the figures 

 obtained, it amounts to about one-third to one-half of the total nitrogen 

 in bad silage. 



PART II.— EXPERIMENTS WITH THE ALFALFA SILAGE MADE IN 



lo-TON SILOS 1 



The seven silos were filled in the spring of 191 5 about the time the first 

 cutting of alfalfa was in one-tenth bloom. Corn chop, molasses, sweet- 

 sorghum butts, and rye were used as supplements. The seven silos were 

 filled as follows: No. i, alfalfa alone; No. 2, alfalfa and molasses, 23 to i ; 

 No. 3, alfalfa and molasses, 10 to i ; No. 4, alfalfa and com chop, 9.6 to i ; 

 No. 5, alfalfa and sweet-sorghum butts, 5.2 to i; No. 6, alfalfa and rye, 

 2 to I ; No. 7, rye alone. The sweet-sorghum butts were of poor quality, 

 and this accounts for. the unsatisfactory results obtained; but, even as it 

 was, the silage was of better quality than that obtained where rye was 

 used as a supplement or when alfalfa was used alone. The palatability 

 test made by the Dairy Department showed that the feeding quality of 

 the silage produced ranged in the following order, beginning with the 

 best: Alfalfa and molasses, 23 to i ; alfalfa and molasses, 10 to i ; alfalfa 

 and corn chop, 9.6 to i ; alfalfa and sweet-sorghum butts, 5.2 to i ; alfalfa 



' The work done in 1914 on this phase is omitted entirely from this paper. 



