LOSSES IN MA K INC SIl.ACi: •_'♦;: 



as put in and as taken out. i> .siil.jcct to sucli vari;iti(.ii> in 

 water-content that a vcrv l.ir-c iimnlxT of samples arc nMiiiirctl 

 from which to obtain a fair avcrauv for the comiit^itioii of tlir 

 whole. 



The resuhs indicated that the losses ueie not so j^Mvat as 

 was then commonly supposed; not more than .'> per cent, of 

 the total dry matter of the clover, and alnait 1.") pci- eein. (.f the 

 dry matter of the grass appeared to be lost. Tlie 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, aniide> 

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

 the non-nitrogenous constituents, but the evidence was all 

 against the idea that any of the woody fibi'(> was convert e(l 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 pnrpnsr 

 experiments were made both with fattening oxen and with 

 cows in milk. Two lots of five oxen were picked ont an<l fed 

 with 6 lb. cake and 4^ lb. l)arley meal each per diem. In 

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

 the beasts hi the other k)t 12 lb. of clover chaff and .")() II.. of 

 Swedes. The experiment lasted 114 days. 



The final result was .shghtly in favonr of the sila-v ; the 

 beasts receiving silage made an average increase of 1 ■)■«') lb. p'T 

 week per 1000 lb. mean live-weight, as again.st a corresponding 

 increase of 14-8 11). made by the bea.sts receiving roots an<l 

 chaffed hay. 



In the other experiment with milch cows, two lots each of I'O 

 cows were selected, .so as to o1)tain them as nearly as po.s.^ibh- 

 with equal milk yioMs and (Mjnally advanced in the lactation 

 period in each lot. This could hardly be realise. 1 with exact it nde. 

 especially as fresh cows had to be brought in during the 

 experiment. Of concentrated food each cow receivc.l \ lb. 

 cake, 4 lb. bran, and 10 lb. chatt{hay and .straw mixed). The 

 silage lot got from 42 to r)0 lb. of ch)ver .silage, the other> 7:» to 



