Changes and Losses in the Silo 215 



Starch seems to resist the usual silo oxidations. In 

 certain experiments a considerable loss of nitrogen is 

 reported. It is hard to understand, though, how this 

 can occur to any large extent unless the conditions in 

 the silo are very bad, so that putrefactive fermentations 

 set in. An extensive loss of nitrogen compounds cer- 

 tainly would indicate very serious and long -continued 

 destructive changes. 



The nature of the changes and losses in producing 

 silage have been dwelt upon partly because corn, the 

 principal silo crop, is one of our most important forage 

 crops, perhaps the most so on a dairy farm, and partly 

 in order to illustrate the necessity and value of good 

 management in preserving this crop by the silo method. 

 Moreover, the loss that is incident to the field -curing 

 of maize is practically the same in kind and is fully as 

 large as that pertaining to silage, so that the facts pre- 

 sented are pertinent to both methods as well as to all 

 circumstances where similar oxidations and fermenta- 

 tions are likely to ensue. 



Extent of loss in the silo. The extent of the loss of 

 dry substance is important. It measures in a general 

 way the difference between the food value of the silage 

 and of the fresh material. The silo combustion reduces 

 the energy or heat value which the fermented fodder 

 will have whenever it is eaten by the animal. The 

 heat lost would warm an animal during a cold day were 

 the combustion to occur within the animal instead of in 

 the silo.* It is desirable, therefore, to know the extent 

 to which dry substance is actually broken up in the 

 preparation of silage. This loss has been measured 



* See note, p. 169. 



