LOSSES IN DRY CURING. 15 



2. Losses in the Siloing Process. — As compared with the 

 large losses in food materials In field-curing of Indian com there 

 are but comparatively small losses in the silo, caused hy fermen- 

 tation processes or decomposition of the living plant cells as they 

 are dying off. The losses in this case have been repeatedly de- 

 termined by experiment stations, and, among others, by those men- 

 tioned in the preceding. The average losses of dry matter in the 

 fodder corn during the siloing period, of four seasons (1887-'91) 

 as determined by Prof. Woll at the Wisconsin Experiment Station 

 was about 16 per cent. The silos used in these trials, as in case 

 of nearly all the early experiments on this point, were small and 

 shallow, however, only 14 feet deep, were rectangular in form, and 

 not always perfectly air-tight, a most important point in silo con- 

 struction, as, we shall see, and a portion of the silage therefore 

 came out spoilt, thus increasing the losses of food materials in 

 the siloing process. The losses reported were, therefore, too great, 

 and there is now an abundance of evidence at hand showing that 

 the figures given are higher than those found in actual practice, 

 and the necessary loss in the silo comes considerably below th.at 

 found in the early experiments on this point. There are plenty 

 of cases on record showing that ten per cent, represents the maxi- 

 mum loss of dry matter in modern deep, well-built silos. The 

 losses found in siloing corn at a number of experiment stations 

 during the last ten years have come at or below this figure. It 

 is possible to reduce the loss still further by avoiding any spoilt 

 silage on the surface, by beginning to feed immediately after the 

 filling of the silo, and by feeding the silage out rather rapidly. 

 Experiments conducted on a small scale by Prof. King in 1894 

 gave losses of only 2 and 3 per cent, of dry matter, on the strength 

 of which results, amongst others, he believes that the necessary 

 loss of dry matter in the Silo need not exceed 5 per cent. 



Summarizing our considerations concerning the relative losses 

 of food materials in the field-curing and siloing of Indian corn, 

 we may, therefore, say that far from being less economical than 

 the former, the silo is more so, under favorable conditions for 

 both systems, and that therefore a larger quantity of food ma- 

 terials is obtained by filling the corn crop into a silo than by any 

 other method of preserving it known at the present time. 



What has been said in the foregoing in regard to fodder corn 

 applies equally well to other crops put into the silo. A few words 



