302 



Journal of Agricultural Research voi. xviii. No. 6 



matter. Comparing this with the 8o,i 15 pounds of dry matter put into 

 the stack, there was a loss of 3 1 ,309 pounds, or nearly 40 per cent. 



The loss was calculated also on the basis of the chemical composition 

 of the samples taken from the stack as compared with that of the alfalfa 

 when it was put into the stack. It was assumed that there was no gain 

 nor loss of ash. This assumption is probably more nearly correct for 

 the inside than for the outside of the stack, where there may have been 

 some loss by leaching and some addition from dust blowing into the stack. 

 The two would to a certain extent balance each other. The following 

 method of calculation was used: The average of all samples of the 

 alfalfa as it went into stack shows that 100 pounds of alfalfa on a dry 

 basis contained 9.27 pounds of ash. Alfalfa from the stack represented 

 by sample 592 contained 13.24 pounds of ash in 100 pounds of dry matter. 

 This increase in ash of nearly 4 per cent can be explained only by a loss 

 of organic matter. This loss may be calculated by the proportion 



9.27: 13.24 :: 100: X 



in which :k=i42. That is, 100 pounds of the alfalfa which was taken 

 from the stack contained as much ash as 142 pounds when it was put 

 into the stack. In other words, there was a loss of 42 of the 142 pounds, 

 or practically 30 per cent for this particular sample. The loss for each 

 kind of hay taken from the stack was calculated separately in a similar 

 way. The average loss of total organic matter for all samples deter- 

 mined in this way was 39.2 per cent. The loss of protein, crude fiber, 

 nitrogen-free extract, and ether extract was calculated by computing 

 the amount of each of these constituents in 142 pounds of the original 

 material and then comparing these amounts with the amounts present 

 in the 100 pounds of material to which the original 142 pounds had been 

 reduced. The data obtained in this way are given in Table IV. 



Table IV. — Losses of organic matter, calculated on the basis of the ash content of the 

 alfalfa put into the stack and of the matciial taken from the stack 



Sam- 

 ple 



No. 



S8i 



582 

 591 

 592 



600 

 601 

 602 

 603 

 604 

 605 

 606 



607 



608 



Date of 



sampling. 



Dec. 28, 1916 



....do 



....do 



Mar. 20, 191 7 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



Description of sample. 



Total 

 organic 

 matter 



Black alfalfa, diarred, inferior 



do 



Black alfalfa charred, good quality 



do 



Charred, dry, not moldy 



Partly moUy, but moist, second grade... 



Black alfalfa, good quality 



From stack bottom, bad odor 



Alfalfa hay, color and odor good 



Dark bro\vn hay, next to charred portion 



Moldy, mostly charred 



Green hay from outside of stack, good . . 



Light-brown hay 



Average 39' 2 



Per ct. 

 31- 03 

 44- 13 

 25.92 

 30.07 

 41.86 

 64.44 

 40.47 

 52. 60 

 34-64 

 35-90 

 56- 71 

 15- 25 

 37- II 



Pro- 

 tein. 



Per ct. 

 25-07 

 37- 46 

 22. 92 

 31- °3 

 33-46 

 57-76 

 34- 26 

 62.85 

 38. 00 

 30.88 

 33- 29 

 29.42 

 37-87 



36- 5 



Crude 

 fiber. 



Per ct. 



12.87 

 48-46 

 32-35 

 39-99 

 49-52 

 72. II 

 38.58 

 50-37 

 28- 02 

 54- 14 

 73-89 

 10-33 

 42.07 



Nitro- 

 gen- 

 free 

 extract. 



Per ct. 



54- 18 

 53-49 

 27- 30 

 27. 88 

 48-43 

 75-50 

 53-34 

 63.04 

 47-34 

 29. 96 

 63.66 

 13-09 

 38-65 



45-8 



Ether 

 extract. 



Per ct. 

 56-28 

 53- 12 

 40.44 

 35-77 

 55-53 

 80.34 



SI- 99 

 48.6s 

 35- 61 

 60. S3 

 97.87 

 75.63 

 77.69 



59-3 



