Feb. is, 1921 Composition of Sunflower and Corn Plants 791 



acter of the carbohydrates. Although no part of the present experiment, 

 silage was made of the sunflower plant at different stages of maturity, 

 and it was found that silage made from plants at the stage when the rays 

 were dry and partly fallen was excellent in quality. Comparing the plant 

 at this stage with the corn plant at the silage stage, it will be seen that 

 the starch and sugars combined constitute 1 1.2 per cent of the dry matter 

 in the former, of which only about one-fifteenth is starch, while the 

 combined starch and sugars in the dry matter of the latter constitute 

 nearly 37 per cent, two-thirds of which is starch. 



There is no great difference in the percentage of proteids in the dry 

 matter of the two plants, but it is slightly in favor of the corn plant. 



In selecting the best stage of maturity of a plant for ensiling, several 

 things must be taken into consideration. In general the stage must be 

 selected that promises the largest yield of food constituents in the silage. 

 This stage is not necessarily the one when the plant itself has the maxi- 

 mum amount of food constituents. The moisture content of a plant, 

 judging by the behavior of the corn plant when ensiled, plays an ex- 

 ceedingly important role. When silage is made from the corn plant 

 having a high moisture content there is a downward seepage of the 

 juice, carrying with it valuable food material. If the silo is tight this 

 juice waterlogs the bottom layer, rendering it unfit for feeding. If the 

 silo is not tight the juice leaks out and is lost altogether. Moreover, 

 high moisture in the plant is usually associated with high-acid silage. 

 On the other hand, a plant that has too low a moisture content is difficult 

 to pack closely enough to eliminate the air spaces that cause spoilage. 

 Silage produced from such plants is dry and lacks palatability. 



Another point that should not be lost sight of is, of course, the yield 

 per acre. This point, aside from the high moisture content, would bar 

 out the three earlier stages of the sunflower plant. The fourth stage is 

 still too high in moisture. The last stage contains nearly 70 per cent 

 of moisture. 



From the moisture content alone the sunflower plant at this stage 

 should make good silage, but here another factor must be taken into 

 consideration. The sunflower plant at this stage has lost some of its 

 leaves. The outer part of the stalk has become so hard and woody that 

 it would be difficult, if not impossible, to pack it closely enough to pre- 

 vent spoilage. This eliminates all but two stages, the one when the 

 rays are dry and partly fallen and the other when all the rays have 

 fallen. These stages are close together, and judging from the chemical 

 composition there is but little choice between the two. 



There is but little difference in percentage between the total proteids 

 and albuminoid proteids in the sunflower plant at these stages and the 

 corn plant at the silage stage. The chief differences, as discussed in 

 another paragraph, lie in the sugars and starch. 



