SOUR FODDER. 233 



that silage flavors are really due to enzyme action. But considering 

 the fact that enzymes do not commonly produce any such flavors 

 while bacteria do, and also that bacteria certainly grow in the silage 

 after the first fermentation is over, it seems on the whole more 

 likely that the flavors must be attributed to bacterial action. 



As a summary, then, it appears that silage involves three distinct 

 processes, each of which is capable of producing a profound modifi- 

 cation of the material in the silo. Probably all three may be con- 

 cerned, in different degrees, at different times. The various lots 

 of silage do not always ferment alike, even under seemingly identical 

 conditions; and very possibly these three different processes are con- 

 cerned, in varying degrees, in the different lots of silage. The sub- 

 ject is complicated and probably so variable that we cannot at 

 present say, with any degree of accuracy, just what is the usual 

 course of events in this fermentation. A large amount of study 

 remains to be done on this subject, and doubtless, when the matter 

 is properly studied, so that it is better understood, great improve- 

 ments can be made in the process. 



It is perhaps fitting to say that silage forms a good food for 

 cattle, although some dairy companies refuse to accept milk from 

 silage-fed cows. The reason that this kind of fodder has an effect 

 on the milk is probably due to the dirt and filth that get into the 

 milk from the silage food after milking, rather than to the silage 

 that the animals have actually eaten. If the milk were kept clean 

 and all the dairy processes carried out in a proper manner, it is 

 doubtful whether any trace of silage feeding would show in the milk. 

 But considering the carelessness in the ordinary dairy and the dirt 

 that commonly gets into milk, it may follow that the effect of silage 

 in the stable will show in the milk. 



SOUR FODDER. 



This is a food for cattle made out of the waste from beet sugar 

 manufactories, and other waste material. Slices of beet roots, after 

 the sugar is extracted, steamed potatoes, corn stalks, and various 

 other vegetable substances, may serve as its basis. This material 



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