156 DESCRIPTION OF FEEDING STUFFS 
¥ 
acid is non-volatile and makes up about two-thirds of the acidity of 
silage made from nearly matured corn, or about 1 per cent on the 
average, while acetic acid is present in from 0.2 to 0.5 per cent on 
the average. This and related acids give to well-preserved silage 
its pleasantly acidulated, aromatic odor, and make corn silage 
particularly palatable to farm animals. 
Corn is planted: thicker when grown for silage than for grain 
(p. 106). The closeness of planting varies in different regions, 
according to soil and climate. The common practice is to plant 
the corn in hills, three and a half feet apart both ways, for grain, 
and in drills, three and a half feet apart, with stalks eight to ten 
inches apart in the row for silage. This will secure a fair propor- 
tion of ears and a maximum yield of dry matter in the crop taken 
off the land (p. 105). Experiments conducted with regard to the 
effect of methods of planting corn have shown that the yields ob- 
tained are not influenced materially by the disttibution of the seed 
so long as the amount of seed per acre remains the same.* The 
question of planting corn in hills or drills may, therefore, be decided 
on the score of convenience of cultivating the field and handling 
the crop. \ 
Corn for the Silo.—Experience and direct trials have proved 
that it is best to plant a variety of corn for silage that will mature 
in the locality given, and to grow a maximum amount of dry matter 
to the acre, which will mean that the yield of perfect ears will be 
smaller than when grown for grain. As the quality of the silage 
made from well-matured corn is better than that made from rather 
immature grain, the best practice is to allow the grain to nearly 
ripen before it is cut for the silo. This is advantageous also because 
of the rapid increase in the yield of dry matter per acre during the 
last. stages of the growing period when the kernels begin to harden 
(p. 55). If the grain is fully matured by the time the silo can be 
filled, a quantity of water added to the mass in the silo or in the 
blower as the corn goes into the silo will secure a good quality of 
silage. Frosted corn can likewise be made into good silage by a 
liberal application of water in the same way. 
The amount of silage that can be obtained from an acre of 
corn will vary with the fertility of the land, the season, and the care 
used in growing the crop, from 6 tons or below to over 20 tons in 
exceptional cases. A 50-bushelcrop will yield about 8 to 12 tons 
of silage per acre, depending upon the amounts of foliage and 
stalks that accompany the ear. Southern varieties of corn, as a 
*Tllinois Bulletin 31, Connecticut Report, 1890. 
