1901 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
495 
CHEMICAL CHANGES IN THE SILO. 
What Takes Place in Silage ? 
The Air “Burns.” —When silage is 
first cut into the silo the live tissues of 
the plant remain active for a consider¬ 
able length of time, and rapidly con¬ 
sume the oxygen contained in the air 
which is carried into the silo with the 
cut material, so that in a comparatively 
short time nearly or quite all of the 
oxygen has been removed from the air, 
and in its place has been developed car¬ 
bon dioxide, and probably more or less 
of other gases. If the silo is sufficiently 
tight so that no air can enter from the 
sides, and none can enter from above, 
the rapid action which occurs at first 
nearly ceases, and from this time on 
only comparatively small changes take 
place, which result in the production oi 
substances in the gaseous form. What 
changes may occur after this in the silo 
which result in the formation of liquid 
or solid substances have not yet been 
determined, but it is certain that in the 
silos of airtight construction the changes 
are so small that the total loss in dry 
matter from well-matured corn silage, 
need not exceed to four per cent 
after a period of standing as long as six 
months or even a year. 
OiiEMiCAi. CiiANOBs.—No One has sat¬ 
isfactorily demonstrated just what pro¬ 
ducts are produced in the process of 
siloing. It is known that carbon diox¬ 
ide is given off at first in quite large 
quantities. We have demonstrated that 
for a time at least considerable quanti¬ 
ties of some combustible gas are also 
given off, though Drs. Babcock and Rus¬ 
sell did not find evidence of this in their 
experiments. In addition to these gases, 
considerable quantities of acids are de¬ 
veloped, especially if the corn is put in¬ 
to the silo a little under ripe; that is, 
before the kernels of corn are well ma¬ 
tured and the sugars and other less 
stable compounds have been transformed 
into the more stable compounds which 
occur in the kernels. The causes which 
produce these changes have not yet been 
thoroughly demonstrated. The observa¬ 
tions made by Drs. Babcock and Russell 
indicate that the bacterial action is not 
as great as it has formerly been sup¬ 
posed in the cases where air is complete¬ 
ly excluded from the silage, and it is 
their opinion that direct chemical 
changes whose nature is not yet fully 
demonstrated may take place and be re¬ 
sponsible for the larger part of the first 
heating, and perhaps to the subsequent 
changes which take place in the silage, 
rather than to the type of fermentation 
which bacterial organisms are known to 
produce. 
'Ia)ss In Open Silos. —To whatever 
causes the changes which occur in the 
green materials put into a silo may be 
due, this is satisfactorily demonstrated: 
Wherever air is entangled in the silo in 
large quantities and under whatever 
conditions air may be admitted to the 
silage after it has been put into the silo, 
losses in dry matter inevitably occur, 
and the products which are produced are 
t,i a considerable extent of a gaseous na¬ 
ture, and the more thoroughly oxygen is 
excluded the smaller the inevitable 
losses are likely to be. This proposition 
we have demonstrated abundantly in 
our own observations and experiments 
made both in actual silos, and in small 
vessels ranging from a pint in capacity 
up to those holding 1,500 pounds of si¬ 
lage. In every one of our numerous 
trials where the air has been thorough¬ 
ly excluded, there the losses in dry mat¬ 
ter as gaseous products or those which 
are volatile when the sample is oried in 
the dry oven have been small, but where 
the air has had access with any degree 
of freedom there have been losses of dry 
matter ranging from 10 up to 30 and 40 
per cent of that put in. 
One of the strangest sets of facts 
which we have obtained in our experi¬ 
mental studies is that a given sample of 
corn may undergo such changes as to 
amount to 18 and even as tiigh as 25 
per cent of the dry matter in the sam¬ 
ple, and yet the sample viewed from its 
external appearances and its taste may 
resemble silage of fairly good quality 
which has sustained a loss of less than 
10 per cent. This is a very important 
observation which practical men. should 
keep in mind, because it is undouotedly 
the fact which leads many who are using 
the cheaply-constructed stave silos, 
which are known not thoroughly to ex¬ 
clude the air from the silage, to feel 
satisfied with the results which they get 
in the apparently good silage taken from 
such silos. The observations which we 
record in our last bulletin prove con¬ 
clusively that large losses do oc/cur in 
the stave silos as the result of air find¬ 
ing its way between the unjointed 
staves, and yet the silage appears fairly 
good, and the cattle eat it with relish, 
as they do that which has sustained a 
much smaller loss of dry matter. 
Airtight Best. —It must of course be 
admitted that no observations have yet 
been made of the feeding value of silage 
which has sustained a loss of from 15 to 
20 per cent of its dry matter, and that 
which has sustained a loss of only IV 2 
to two per cent of its dry matter, and 
hence no rigid conclusion can be drawn 
as to how much the actual saving is in 
the thoroughly well-constructed silos 
over those which preserve the silage in 
moderately good condition, so that it 
does not develop the undesirable odors, 
Cleaning the Stable. 
Some one asked through The R. N. Y. 
for a device for cleaning stables. Where 
the stable is built with considerable 
space behind the stalls (mine is seven 
feet), and with a door at one or both 
ends of the space its full width, I think 
the following will be found the quick¬ 
est and easiest of any. Spread a wire 
cloth the width and length of the space 
on the floor when it is clean, and cover 
it with straw or other litter, and leave 
it there until you wish to clean out. 
Then hook the end of the wire carpet 
that is by the door to the doorsill and 
hitch a horse to the other end and drive 
him over the wire, and out of the door 
the wire cloth rolls, taking all the ma¬ 
nure with it, and unloads it just out of 
the door. By putting some inclined 
plank from the door to top 01 wagon, 
and lengthening the carpet, it can be 
unloaded into the wagon. Of course 
then one would have to use a rope to 
hitch the horse to, long enough to reach 
the length of the stable and out over the 
wagon. I presume that tarred rope mat¬ 
ting would work as well as the wire 
cloth while it remained sound. I don’t 
know how long it would last used in the 
stable. Of course the carpet must be 
put down again at once and covered as 
before. c. c. c. 
Dowagiac, Mich. 
R. N.-Y.—We have heard of one case 
where a wide scraper was used. A 
ENSILACE 
is prepared 
to 
quickly and 
tno best ad¬ 
vantage bv 
the use of 
“New Hero” 
Cutters 
with or without 
Bell feed table, 
with Fwivel fod¬ 
der carriers or 
Swivel Wind Stackere 
because they are Appleton Quality 
MACHINERY. 
SiMPi.KST IN Construction, Easiest to 
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Operation, Stronoe.st Awn 
Most Ourable. 
I^We make also acompicte line of Grind¬ 
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Wind Mills, Tanks, Sweep and Tread Horse 
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166 PAGE CATALOGUE FREE. 
APPLETON RIFG. CO., 
27 Fargo St., BATAVIA, ILL. 
TKB OHAIN-HANOINO 
Cattle Stanchion 
>2?he most praotloal and humane Fastener ever in¬ 
vented. Givesperfeotfreedom of the head. Illustrated 
Circular and Price freeon application. Mannfaotnred 
bj O. H. R0BKKT80N, ForestvUie. Conn. 
Stanchion 
—being anTmprovement over 
IBmlth’a lightMt, strongest, 
lafMt nrlB( irteaeUoa 
mada Hi..t«.lUtek aadclMutls 
lock. BMomt* sUtlMwy wh«i 
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lagont. HBda.fbMtnMeB.dluurd 
■wood. Pin. for fuUnlag with 8v«y 
■tenchlon. B.nd tvr tMtIawlala 
WILDER* SONS, 
A GROUP OF DUAL-PURPOSE COWS. Fig. 209. 
and has not seriously molded or de¬ 
cayed. In the absence of such evidence, 
however, it is safest for practical ex¬ 
perience to be guided by the supposition 
that the feeding value of silage which 
has sustained the smallest loss in dry 
matter is a better feed than one which 
has sustained the heavier loss, and the 
conclusion that only well-constructed 
silos, such as are known to be perma¬ 
nent in their essential features, and are 
known to possess the power of excluding 
air from the silage are the only safe 
ones for practical men to follow. If it 
is true that a thoroughly good silo will 
save from five to 10 per cent of the feed¬ 
ing value of the silage put into the silo 
more than the poorly-constructed silo 
will save, there can be no question about 
the desirablity of going to a somewhat 
greater expense to secure the conditions 
which will make the small losses pos¬ 
sible. [Prof.] F. II. KING. 
Wisconsin Exp. Station. : 
The preparation which I use is So-Bos- 
So Kilfly. This preparation will keep flies 
from live stock,, and I find that my cattle 
which I used it on are free from warbles 
this Spring. While using this preparation 
we have some things to look to, namely, 
to keep it from penetrating the milk. We 
have never had any bother with It, but 
in the first place we milk and strain, and 
have everything put in place before spray¬ 
ing the milch cows. Where care is taken 
I think there is no danger of the milk 
being tainted. I have also used Kilfly on 
my hogs, which will rid them of lice, but 
for lice on hogs I like a light application 
of crude oil the best. 
Noblestown, Pa. h. u. k. 
horse was hitched to this scraper by 
means of a long rope and with a man 
behind to guide the scraper the manure 
was all pulled out. 
Butter and Cream Fat. 
What amount of butter Is contained, or 
can be made, from one gallon of cream, 
containing 30 per cent of butter fat? I 
wish to figure out the relative value of 
cream and butter on that basis, so as to 
decide whether to sell cream or butter. 
Whltewood, S. D. t. e. b. 
One gallon of cream containing 30 per 
cent fat will produce 2% pounds of but¬ 
ter if the cream has been carefully ri¬ 
pened and exhaustively churned. 'Sell¬ 
ing butter at 20 cents a pound would 
make a gross return of 55 cents; deduct¬ 
ing average expense of manufacture of 
.03 per pound butter would leave a net 
per gallon of cream of 47 cents. A very 
safe and accurate rule for computing 
the butter value of milk or cream is 
found by multiplying the pounds of 
milk or cream by its per cent of fat, 
and then add .15 to the product. My ex¬ 
perience has not warranted an excess of 
butter over butter fat to exceed the 
above amount. Careful experiment has 
shown that butter fat cannot assimilate 
to exceed one-half of its own weight of 
water. Butter contains a small per cent 
of foreign matter which just about bal¬ 
ances the loss in separation and churn¬ 
ing when it has been as complete as 
present machinery and skill can make 
it. When the excess runs under 10 per 
cent or over 17 per cent something is 
out of gear in the method. Many teste 
are figured on a basis of 80 per cent fat; 
this calls for 20 per cent excess, which 
does not correspond with actual cream¬ 
ery practice. 11 . e. cook. 
Sharpies “Tubular” 
Dairy Separatory 
Official Report of State Authorities.'^ 
University of Wlaconsin—830 lbs 
per hour; test skim milk...01 
Conn. Apfr. Collepre—927 lbs per 
hour; tost skim milk.02 
Ohio State University—“DolnR 
pood work”te8t skim milk.02 
Unlv. of Tcnn.—•‘Very satisfac¬ 
tory ;” test skim milk trace 
N. H. Apr. Collepe—“The boys 
like it;’’test skim milk...01 
Hatch Experiment Station, Mass.—692 lbs 
per hour; test skim milk .02 
Kansas State Apr.College—eCOlbs per hour; 
test skimmilk.,03 
Pennsylvania Apr.Collepe—“Did very pood 
work. It skims very clean.” 
University of Nebraska—“Runs very light. 
Doing good work." 
Tuskegee, Ala., Industrial Inst.—“The thor¬ 
oughness of skimming is remarkable. 
SHARPIES CO., P. M. SHARPIES, 
Chicago, Ills. West Chester, Pa. 
EMPIRF 
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