58 



into Silo No. 1, but nothing into Silo No. 2 ; which, 

 however, still contained some of the first crop red 

 clover put in in 1886. 



In the fifth season, 1888, meadow-grass, and half- 

 made meadow-hay, were put into Silo No. 1, and into 

 Silo No. 2, a similar mixed crop as in previous years, also 

 some lucerne, meadow-grass, barley cut green, and red 

 clover. Part of these remaining unconsumed during 

 the summer of 1889, and the season having been very 

 favourable for hay making, nothing more was put into 

 either silo in that year (1889). Nor was any of the 

 1888 silage taken out of Silo No. 1 in 1890, but in the 

 wet July of that year, the pit was filled up with half- 

 made spoiling hay, without weighing or sampling, and 

 the whole has been used without weighing or sampling, 

 so that no experimental results will be available in 

 regard to the contents of Silo No. 1. From Silo No.' 2, 

 however, the 1888 silage was removed from January to 

 May 1890, the whole being weighed and sampled, so 

 that the results will be available for purposes of calcu- 

 lation. Subsequently, in the summer of 1890, Silo No. 2 

 was also filled with half-made spoiling hay, without 

 weighing or sampling. 



For purposes of experiment, the weight of each des- 

 cription of produce is taken, both when put in and 

 when taken out of the silo, and samples, both of the 

 produce as put in, and of the silage taken out, are 

 taken. In these, the dry matter, ash, and nitrogen, 

 are always determined. In the silage, in some cases, 

 there have also been determined, the amounts of albu- 

 minoid nitrogen, of soluble and insoluble nitrogenous 

 substance, of soluble and insoluble ash, of cellulose of 

 a given degree of solubility, assumed to be digestible, 

 and of the remaining " woody fibre," assumed to be 

 indigestible (though in reality largely digestible by 

 ruminants), also the amounts of acetic and lactic acids. 



The general result is, that the loss of organic sub- 

 stance in the process of ensilaging is exceedingly 

 variable, according to the description of the herbage, its 

 condition of succulence or maturity, and other circum- 



