574 Journal of Agricultural Research voI.xv.no. n 



EXPERIMENTAL DATA 



The silos were filled, beginning on May 23, 1914, with the first cutting 

 of alfalfa, and were opened in January, 191 5. The condition of the 

 silage, when the silos were opened, is well described by Reed and Fitch 

 {15, p. lo-ii) : 



In most cases the silage had settled five or six feet from the top of the silo and had 

 drawn away slightly from the wall at the surface. The exceedingly dry, hot weather 

 of 19 14 perhaps caused more drying than would have occured during a normal year. 

 The upper two feet of silage was spoiled in all the silos. The silage made from alfalfa 

 alone was very dark in color and it had a disagreeable odor, which is characteristic of 

 alfalfa when preserved in the silo. The mixtures of alfalfa and com chop, alfalfa and 

 molasses, alfalfa and molasses feed, all showed a dark-green color. All of the mix- 

 tures had a strong odor. The moisture content of all mixtures except the alfalfa and 

 rye was very low. * * * The mixtures of alfalfa and straw, and alfalfa and molasses 

 feed did not make a good quality of silage. On the whole, the results obtained in this 

 trial were not satisfactory. 



The palatability test as determined by the Dairy Department demon- 

 strated that cattle prefer the mixtures in the following order: Alfalfa 

 and molasses, alfalfa and corn chop, alfalfa alone, alfalfa and rye, alfalfa 

 and molasses feed, alfalfa and straw, and rye alone. 



The acidity of the silage as determined by the Chemistry Department 

 indicated that all the material underwent a normal acid fermentation. 

 The acidity for the silage, when the silos were opened was as follows: 

 Alfalfa alone 1.63 per cent, alfalfa and com chop 1.84 per cent, alfalfa 

 and molasses 2.28 per cent, alfalfa and molasses feed 2.03 per cent, al- 

 falfa and straw 1.37 per cent, alfalfa and rye 1.24 per cent, and rye alone 

 2.79 per cent. 



The results obtained from the bacteriological analyses are given in 

 Table I. 



In general, the bacteriological data were unsatisfactory. Little evi- 

 dence was gathered to account for the differences noted in the quality 

 of the various kinds of silage. The microbial flora of alfalfa silage is very 

 similar to that of silage made from the common forage crops, the four 

 principal types of organisms being (i) acid producers, (2) yeasts, (3) 

 organisms of the colon group, and (4) miscellaneous. As in normal silage, 

 the acid producers, as a rule, predominated in alfalfa silage. Yeasts and 

 the organisms of the colon group had a tendency to coincide in their 

 course of development in the silage. It has been observed from the 

 study of the fermentation processes in a good quality of silage that these 

 two groups rapidly increase in numbers for the first few days, then grad- 

 ually diminish. While the same tendency was indicated in the different 

 kinds of alfalfa silage, it was more marked in some than in others. 



