CHEMISTRY OF SWEET-CLOVER SILAGE IN COMPARI- 

 SON WITH ALFALFA SILAGE 



By C. O. SWANSON, Associate Chemist, and E. L. Tague, Assistant Chemist, Depart- 

 ment of Chemistry, Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station 



INTRODUCTION 



In pursuing chemical studies in making alfalfa silage, previously 

 reported,^ there were certain phases ^hich seemed to warrant further 

 investigation. In outlining the plan for this additional work it seemed 

 desirable to broaden the investigation by including sweet clover. As 

 in the previous investigations, milk bottles were used as containers. 



PLAN OF THE WORK 



After the alfalfa (Medicago saliva) or the sweet clover {Melilotus 

 spp.) had been cut, it was allowed to wilt in the sun for about two hours. 

 The alfalfa was cut in one-tenth bloom, the sweet clover just before 

 bloom. The alfalfa was of average size, fine quality, first cutting. 

 The sweet clover was very rank and had a high moisture content. 

 After wilting, the material was brought to the laboratory and passed 

 through a small feed cutter. Alfalfa was used alone. The sweet 

 clover was used alone and also with ground corn in the proportion of 

 I to lo. Each bottle was weighed before filling. All were packed full, 

 closed with corks which were wired, and sealed with wax such as is used 

 in closing desiccators. 



Three bottles, one of each kind, were opened each day for the first 

 week, then every other day for the second week, then each week for the 

 next four weeks, and finally each month as long as needed. On open- 

 ing, the silage was judged as to color and grade. All the bottles, without 

 exception, had first-class silage. In this study an effort was made to 

 obtain as nearly as possible the same grade of silage in all the bottles. 

 From our previous work the conditions for obtaining this result were 



known. 



LOSS OF MATERIAL 



As soon as a bottle was opened the content was weighed. The 

 weight of the material put into the bottle, about 700 gm., had been 

 obtained at the time of filling. From these figures were calculated the 

 loss of material during silage making. The figures obtained are given 

 in Table I. 



' SwANSoN, C. C, and Tagub. E. L. chemical studies in making alfalfa silage. In Jour. Agr. 

 Research, v. lo, no. 6. p. ays-igi. 191 7- 



Journal of Agricultural Research. ^'"' ^^' • ^°- ^ 



Washington, D. C. <^<^*- '<• '''^ 



Key No. Kans.-is 



'^ (113) 



