232 



THE FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



the figures reached varying from about 2 to nearly 40 

 per cent of the dry matter of the fresh crop. In a majority 

 of cases the loss has been over 15 and less than 20 per 

 cent. King, of the Wisconsin Experiment Station, who 

 gave the production of silage much study, concluded 

 upon the basis of his observations that in good practice 

 the necessary reduction of dry matter in making corn 

 silage need not exceed 4 to 8 per cent, and with clover 

 silage from 10 to 18 per cent. 



317. Necessary loss in silo. — The necessary loss is 

 explained as being that which occurs in the interior of 

 the mass where aU outside air is excluded and other 

 favorable conditions prevail. Considering the contents 

 of the silo as a whole, it wUl require careful attention to 

 all detaUs in order to reach King's estimate with the best 

 conditions attainable. 



This investigator found that 64.7 tons of silage packed 

 in a silo lined with galvanized iron, thus securing a per- 

 fect exclusion of air, lost an average of 6.38 per cent of 

 dry matter. This silo was filled in eight detached layers, 

 and the proportion of loss in these several divisions, as 

 affected by location, is most suggestive: 



Table XLVIII 



