42 



MAINE .STATE COLLEGE 



the fermentations in the silo, should more properly be credited to 

 the superior food properties of the plant which the silo conserves 

 so efficiently, and which would be equally valuable when preserved 

 as completely in any other manner. 



COMPARATIVE DIGESTIBILITY OF MAINE FIELD CORN AND THE LARGE 

 SOUTHERN "WHITE CORN. 



There appears to be a marked difference in the digestibility of 

 these two varieties of corn, which were grown under entirely similar 

 conditions as to climate, location and manuring, the former being 

 allowed to mature and the latter cut before silking. The following 

 figures are sufficient evidence of this and show that the advantage is 

 greatly with the smaller variety. 



TABLE XXI. 



COMPARATIVE DIGESTIBILITY OF TWO VARIETIES OF CORN. 





as 





To 

 < 



.s 



'3 

 p 



s 



H 



3 *i 

 bfj 

 O , CS 



H ® rt 



AC <v 



"S 



Field Corn fodder and silage, 7 



72.3 

 64.6 



74.6 

 66.5 



36.8 

 39.7 



65.1 

 59.6 



76.5 

 71.0 



75.5 

 65.2 



74.9 



Southern Corn fodder and silage, 



66.3 



Difference in favor of the Field 



7.7 



8.1 



- 



• 5.5 



5.5 



10.3 



8.6 



The observations on which the above comparison is based are 

 too numerous and too nearly a unit in the evidence which they fur- 

 nish to allow a chance of doubting the significance of the figures. 

 It is certainly a matter of some importance to Maine farmers that 

 the smaller variety of corn, which matures in this latitude, should 

 prove to be more digestible to the extent of about eight per cent of 

 the total dry matter. 



The nitrogen-free-extract appears to show a greater difference 

 of digestibility than any other portion of the plant and it is here 

 that we must look for at least a partial explanation of the fact 

 under discussion. 



Repeated reference has already been made to the much larger 

 percentage of highly digestible carbohydrates in the mature Maine 

 field corn as compared with the immature Southern corn. This- 



