36 MAINE STATE COLLEGE 



It seems that for each hundred pounds of green corn 3 58 per 

 cent of dry matter was lost in the process of slow drying under the 

 most favorable circumstances. This was 14.13 per cent of the 

 total dry matter in the fresh plant, which means that of each hun- 

 dred pounds of dry substance originally in the plant only 85.87 

 pounds were saved. 



It is interesting to note that this loss falls almost entirely on the 

 nitrogen-free extract, or carbohydrates, more than two-thirds of it 

 being actually accounted for by the diminished percentage of 

 sugars. 



SUMMARY. 



(1) The large varieties of corn which mature in the West and 

 South must be harvested in Maine in a very immature condition, 

 while the smaller Flint varieties may usually be allowed to stand 

 until maturity. 



(2) Under these conditions the smaller varieties of Flint corn 

 had, when harvested, a much higher percentage of dry matter than 

 the large immature Dent corn. 



(3) The excess of dry matter in the Maine field corn consisted 

 almost wholly of nitrogen-free-extract or the non-nitrogenous part 

 of the plant. 



(4) The dry matter of the large immature Dent corn contained 

 .78 per cent more protein, 7.91 per cent more fiber and 9.89 per 

 cent less nitrogen-free-extract. 



(5) The development of the Flint corn to maturity caused a 

 large relative production of nitrogen free extract as compared with 

 an earlier stage of growth When in the silking stage the nitrogen- 

 free-extract made up about 47 per cent of the dry matter of the 

 plant, but this proportion increased to 63 per cent at maturity. 



(6) The mature corn contained much the larger proportion of 

 the more valuable carbohydrates, the sugars and starch. The 

 starch especially increased, changing in an average of four samples. 

 from 1 per cent to 14 per cent of the dry substance of the plant. 



(7) It appears from facts previously known, and from observa- 

 tions made in connection with these analyses that the diastase 

 method of determining starch gives more nearly accurate results 

 than the acid method. 



(8) A material loss of dry matter is likely to occur when green 

 corn fodder is slowly dried even under the most favorable conditions * 



