1892.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT— No. 33. 33 



The soja bean when used for ensilage had finished its 

 growth and showed a liberal formation of seed pods. In 

 both instances the entire plant was cut a few inches above 

 ground. 



The corn, — stalks, ears and leaves, — was reduced to 

 pieces of from one to one and one-half inches in length, and 

 the soja bean, — entire plant, — being still soft and succulent 

 in the stated period of growth, was merely cut into two or 

 three pieces. Both plants thus prepared were subsequently 

 filled alternately, in layers one foot in thickness, into a silo. 

 The filling of the silo was carried on as fast as the material 

 could be conveniently secured. Each layer was carefully 

 packed down and the whole finally covered with layers of 

 tar paper and matched boards. The latter were held in 

 place by barrels filled with sand. The silo was filled at the 

 beginning of September, 1890, and opened for use during 

 the succeeding January. 



The mixed ensilage thus produced was of a yellowish green 

 color, and less acid than a clear corn ensilage obtained from 

 the same lot of fodder corn treated in the same manner and 

 at the same time in an adjoining silo. The influence which 

 in our case an addition of an equal weight of a nearly 

 matured soja bean exerts on the composition of corn ensilage 

 will be seen from a comparison of the following analyses of 

 the two kinds of ensilage, No. 1 and No. 2. 



The clear corn ensilage, No. 1, was obtained from the 

 same lot of fodder corn which served for the production of 

 the above-described mixed ensilage, No. 2. The silos were 

 in both cases filled in the same way, and as far as practicable 

 at the same time. They were of a corresponding size and 

 contained fairly even quantities of vegetable matter. Both 

 were opened for general use at about the same time, four 

 months after filling. The samples that served for the 

 analyses represent in each case the average of the ensilage 

 obtained by cutting in a vertical direction through the con- 

 tents of each silo. 



