TABLE OF CHEMICAL, CHANGES. 137 



CHEMICAL CHANGES IN THE CORN CROP. 



The results as to this point obtained at several ex- 

 periment stations have been summarized and are given 

 in the following table, showing the increase in food in- 

 gredients during the stages previous to maturity. 



We thus find that the largest amount of food ma- 

 terials in the corn crop is not obtained until the corn is 

 well ripened. When a corn plant has reached its total 

 growth in height it has, as shown by results given in 

 the last table, attained only one-third to one-half of the 

 weight of dry matter it will gain if left to maturity; 

 hence we see the wisdom of postponing cutting the corn 

 for the silo, as in general for forage purposes until rather 

 late in the season, when it can be done without danger 

 of frost. 



The table given in the preceding, and our discussion 

 so far, have taken into account only the total, and not the 

 digestible components of the corn. 



It has been found through careful digestion trials 

 that older plants are somewhat less digestible than young 

 plants. There is, however, no- such difference in the 

 digestibility of the total dry matter or its components as 

 is found in the total quantities obtained from plants at 

 the different stages of growth, and the total yields of 



