SUNFLOWER SILAGE 



By Ray E. Neidig and Lulu E. Vance, Che?nical Department, Idaho Agricultural 



Experiment Station 



In many sections of the Pacific Northwest the selection of a suitable 

 crop for silage purposes is a matter of some difficulty because of the 

 variable climatic conditions. New crops that are more or less resistant 

 to drought and that will yield a heavy tonnage of green material per 

 acre are greatly desired for this purpose. The results obtained by 

 Arnett and Tretsven in 1917^ on sunflower silage were so encouraging that 

 the Idaho Experiment Station grew a plot of two acres for silage. Dur- 

 ing the early part of September, 191 8, the sunflowers were cut and made 

 into silage. This silage afforded an excellent opportunity for a chemical 

 study of the acid formation. Since the kind of acid produced in silage 

 is a criterion of the quality of silage, the results obtained would definitely 

 establish the type of fermentation occurring when sunflowers are prop- 

 erly siloed. 



The crop of sunflowers was not sufficient to fill the silo entirely, so 

 corn was added in sufficient quantity. About 10 days elapsed between 

 the siloing of the sunflowers and corn. The samples of silage were taken 

 on January 9, 18, and 22 at the depth of 2, 6, and 9 feet from the top 

 of the sunflower silage. Both volatile and nonvolatile acids were deter- 

 mined. Since the methods used have been previously described by one 

 of the writers,^ no detailed description will be given here. The Duclaux 

 method was used to determine the volatile acids. In the calculations 

 of our results, the Duclaux constants were used. Calculations were 

 made by both the algebraic and the graphic methods suggested by Gil- 

 lespie and Walters.^ These methods greatly simplify the calculations 

 when two or three acids are present. Lactic acid was determined as 

 zinc lactate. 



Sample i was taken from the silo on January 9 at a depth of 2 feet. 

 The silage was dark in color and had a strong, disagreeable odor. Sample 

 2, taken on January 18 at a depth of 6 feet, was lighter in color, with 

 only a slight disagreeable odor. Sample 3 was taken on January 22 at a 

 depth of 9 feet. The color and odor of this silage were very good, and 

 it appeared to have undergone normal silage fermentation. 



The data on acidity of the three samples follow: 



' Arnett, C. N., and Tretsven, Oscar, sunflower silage for dairy cows, preliminary report. 

 Mont. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. ii8, p. 75-80. 1917. 



^Neidig, Ray E. acidity of silage made from various crops. In Jout. Agr. Research, v. 14, no 

 10, p. 393-409. 1918. 



' Gillespie, L. Y, and Walters, E. H. the possibilities and limitations of the duclaux method 

 FOR the Estim.\tion of volatile aods. In Jour. Amer. Cbem. See, v. 39, no. 9, p. 2027-2055, 3 fig. 1917. 

 Literature cited, p. 2055. 



Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. XVIII, No. 6 



Washington, D. C. Dec. 15, 1919 



tb Key No. ldaho-3 



(325) 



