LOSSES IN MAKING SILAGE 267 



as put in and as taken out, is subject to such variations in 

 water-content that a very large number of samples are required 

 from which to obtain a fair average for the composition of the 

 whole. 



The results indicated that the losses were not so great as 

 was then commonly supposed ; not more than 5 per cent, of 

 the total dry matter of the clover, and about 15 per cent, of the 

 dry matter of the grass appeared to be lost. The analyses also 

 indicated a certain loss of nitrogenous matter ; the chief change, 

 however, consisted in a conversion of a large proportion of the 

 albuminoids into nitrogenous compounds of lower grade, amides 

 and kindred bodies. The loss of dry matter chiefly fell upon 

 the n on -nitrogenous constituents, but the evidence was all 

 against the idea that any of the woody fibre was converted into 

 a more soluble and digestible form. 



The next step in the experiments consisted in testing the 

 feeding value of the silage produced, and for this purpose 

 experiments were made both with fattening oxen and with 

 cows in milk. Two lots of five oxen were picked out and fed 

 with 6 Ib. cake and 4J Ib. barley meal each per diem. In 

 addition, the beasts in one lot received 65 Ib. of clover silage, and 

 the beasts in the other lot 12 Ib. of clover chaff and 50 Ib. of 

 Swedes. The experiment lasted 114 days. 



The final result was slightly in favour of the silage ; the 

 beasts receiving silage made an average increase of 15*6 Ib. per 

 week per 1000 Ib. mean live-weight, as against a corresponding 

 increase of 14 '8 Ib. made by the beasts receiving roots and 

 chaffed hay. 



In the other experiment with milch cows, two lots each of 20 

 cows were selected, so as to obtain them as nearly as possible 

 with equal milk yields and equally advanced in the lactation 

 period in each lot. This could hardly be realised with exactitude, 

 especially as fresh cows had to be brought in during the 

 experiment. Of concentrated food each cow received 4 Ib. 

 cake, 4 Ib. bran, and 10 Ib. chaff (hay and straw mixed). The 

 silage lot got from 42 to 50 Ib. of clover silage, the others 75 to 



