NITROGEN AND OTHER LOSSES IN ENSILING CORN. ll 



enhanced the first season by the addition of water to the corn at en- 

 siling. 



In the season of 1914r-15 the change in amount of green matter 

 varies from a loss of 4.29 per cent in the weight of bag No. G to a gain 

 of 27.33 per cent in the weight of bag No. 4. The average gain for 

 all bags is 12.35 per cent. The gain for the bags in the upper half 

 averages 8.31 per cent and for the lower half, 16.87 per cent. That 

 the apparent gain in green matter is only a gain in water which more 

 than offsets any loss in dry matter is shown by a comparison, bag by 

 bag, of the figures for gain in green matter and moisture. 



In the season of 1915-16, when the corn was somewhat immature 

 and no water was added while filling the silo, there is a loss in green 

 matter in 5 of the 6 bags. The average loss is 3.09 per cent per bag, 

 and the slightly greater loss in the lower than in the upper half prob- 

 ably is due to the large loss of juice that took place. The change in 

 the amount of moisture present, less than 1 per cent, is comparatively 

 unimportant, though it should be noted that the 2 lower bags register 

 gains. 



LOSS OF DRY MATTER. 



The greatest loss in dry matter in any bag in 1914-15 is but 18.64 

 per cent, while the average loss for all the bags is 8.66 per cent. The 

 apparent downwash of the soluble dry matter is illustrated very well 

 that season by a comparison of the losses. The bags in the upper and 

 lower halves show, respectively, 12.74 per cent and 4.70 per cent losses 

 in dry matter. 



In the season of 1915-16 the figures do not, on their face, bear out 

 this transfusion, there being an increase in loss from 9.72 per cent 

 in the upper half to 13.71 per cent in the lower half. This apparent 

 reversal of the results of the previous season may be and probably is 

 due to the very much larger outflow of juice. The loss in any indi- 

 vidual bag does not run as high as in the previous season, but the 

 average percentage loss of dry matter as ensiled is nearly 3 per cent 

 more, being 11.29 per cent. 



TOTAL NITROGEN. 



The figures for total nitrogen in 1914—15 show a gain in 5 out of 

 8 bags, while in 1915-16 they show a loss in every bag. The fig- 

 ures for the first season show very plainly that there must have 

 been a downwash of nitrogenous material, for while tlicre is a loss 

 of 2.46 per cent in the bags from the top half of the silo, there is a 

 gain of 15.19 per cent over the total nitrogen ensiled in the bags 

 representing the lower half. The fact that this gain in the lower 

 bags raises the average total nitrogen in all the bags may be ac- 

 counted for by irregularities in the downwash by which more nitrog- 

 enous material was washed into the lower bags than was washed out 

 of the upper ones. 



