156 DESCRIPTION OF FEEDING STUFFS 



acid is non-volatile and makes up about two-thirds of the acidity of 

 silage made from nearly matured corn, or about 1 per cent on the 

 average, while acetic acid is present in from 0.2 to 0.5 per cent on 

 the average. This and related acids give to well-preserved silage 

 its pleasantly acidulated, aromatic odor, and make corn silage 

 particularly palatable to farm animals. 



Corn is planted thicker when grown for silage than for grain 

 (p. 106). The closeness of planting varies in different regions, 

 according to soil and climate. The common practice is to plant 

 the corn in hills, three and a half feet apart both ways, for grain, 

 and in drills, three and a half feet apart, with stalks eight to ten 

 inches apart in the row for silage. This will secure a fair propor- 

 tion of ears and a maximum yield of dry matter in the crop taken 

 off the land (p. 105). Experiments conducted with regard to the 

 effect of methods of planting corn have shown that the yields ob- 

 tained are not influenced materially by the distribution of the seed 

 so long as the amount of seed per acre remains the same. 4 The 

 question of planting corn in hills or drills may, therefore, be decided 

 on the score of convenience of cultivating the field and handling 

 the crop. 



Corn for the Silo. Experience and direct trials have proved 

 that it is best to plant a variety of corn for silage that will mature 

 in the locality given, and to grow a maximum amount of dry matter 

 to the acre, which will mean that the yield of perfect ears will be 

 smaller than when grown for grain. As the quality of the silage 

 made from well-matured corn is better than that made from rather 

 immature grain, the best practice is to allow the grain to nearly 

 ripen before it is cut for the silo. This is advantageous also because 

 of the. rapid increase in the yield of dry matter per acre during the 

 last stages of the growing period when the kernels begin to harden 

 (p. 55). If the grain is fully matured by the time the silo can be 

 filled, a quantity of water added to the mass in the silo or in the 

 blower as the corn goes into the silo will secure a good quality of 

 silage. Frosted corn can likewise be made into good silage by a 

 liberal application of water in the same way. 



The amount of silage that can be obtained from an acre of 

 corn will vary with the fertility of the land, the season, and the care 

 used in growing the crop, from 6 tons or below to over 20 tons in 

 exceptional cases. A 50-bushel crop will yield about 8 to 12 tons 

 of silage per acre, depending upon the amounts of foliage and 

 stalks that accompany the ear. Southern varieties of corn, as a 



4 Illinois Bulletin 31, Connecticut Report, 1890. 



