132 SCIENTIFIC FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



essential to sift, winnow, and in other ways clean 

 the grain that is to be stored for any length of 

 time. It is not recommended to store for long 

 crushed or ground grains, meals, etc., for materials 

 in that condition undergo a still more rapid forma- 

 tion of carbon dioxide and so lose more weight. 

 They are also very liable to attack by mites, which 

 in a short time increase enormously and finally 

 leave behind very little but their dung and the 

 hard husks of the grain. 



(4) The keeping of roots and tubers. 



Roots and tubers also undergo the process of 

 respiration, which depends in extent principally 

 upon the temperature of the place in which they 

 are stored. From experiments carried out with 

 potatoes it was found that the formation of carbon 

 dioxide per hour was 10-5 mgms. at 20 C, 4-5 mgms. 

 at io° C, and 2-5 mgms. at o°C, whilst again at 

 20° C. the quantity of carbon dioxide rose to 10 mgms. 

 If these figures are applied on the basis of 100 kg. 

 of fresh roots stored for a month the losses of 

 starch would be as follows: at 20 0-43 kg., at io° 

 0-19 kg., and at o° o-io kg. In these experiments 

 it was also shown that 100 lbs. of sugar beets respire 

 in one month as much organic substance as would 

 equal o-n, 0-29, 0-88 kgs. cane sugar when the tem- 

 peratures were o°, 5 , and io° C. respectively. 



