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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
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BULLETIN No. 953 
Contribution from the Bureau of Animal Industry 
JOHN R. MOHLER, Chief 
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Washington, D. C. 
PROFESSIONAL PAPER 
May 14, 1921 
NITROGEN AND OTHER LOSSES DURING THE 
ENSILING OF CORN. 
By R. H. Shaw, Chemist, and P. A. Weight and E„ F. Deyshee, Assistant 
Chemists, Dairy Division. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Purpose of paper 1 
Previous investigations of nitrogen 
and other losses 1 
The experimental work 5 
Manner of placing and remov- 
ing samples 5 
Collection of the juice 6 
Page. 
The experimental work — Continued. 
Method of analyzing samples 6 
Results of the analyses 1 6 
Discussion of results 9 
Conclusions 15 
References 1 to literature 15 
PURPOSE OF PAPER. 
The silo is primarily a means for conserving food material. With 
the preservation through fermentation of the mass of corn or other 
crops in the silo there is generally the loss of a small amount of food 
material. Certain losses are apparently necessary in the proper fer- 
mentation ; others are probably unnecessary. 
For several years the Dairy Division has been studying to find out 
more definitely what losses incident to the ensiling of corn are neces- 
sary and what is the proper method of handling the crop to prevent 
such losses. This bulletin deals with the losses of nitrogen and other 
elements in corn silage made under ordinary farm conditions. 
PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS. 
The earliest recorded studies of the loss of nitrogen and other 
elements during the ensiling of corn were made with material very 
low in dry matter and stored in pit or tub silos. 
Moser (l), 1 at the Vienna Agricultural Experiment Station, buried 
bundles of green maize, some wilted and some fresh, at different 
1 The figures in parentheses refer to the citations at the end of this bulletin. 
33869°— 21 
