Vo l. XIV Washington, D. C., September 2, 1918 No. 10 
ACIDITY OF SILAGE MADE FROM VARIOUS CROPS 1 
By Ray E. Neidig 
Chemist , Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station 
INTRODUCTION 
It has been found that the quality of com silage is chiefly dependent 
upon the kind of acids formed during the fermentation (5,4, 10). 2 The 
purpose of this investigation is to ascertain ■whether the same acids are 
developed when other commonly grown crops are used for silage purposes. 
Com (Zea mays) is the leading crop grown for silage, owing to the heavy 
yield of green material obtained per acre, but in many sections of the 
Pacific Northwest the growing of com is prohibitive because of variable 
climatic conditions caused by different altitudes. In these sections, 
when silage is desired, crops other than com must necessarily be grown. 
REVIEW OF LITERATURE 
There are comparatively few references in the literature upon the devel¬ 
opment of acidity in silage made from crops other than com. 
Esten and Mason (7) have recommended mixing a legume with com 
for the purpose of raising the protein content of silage. They asserted 
that three parts of com with two parts of cowpeas or soybeans made an 
excellent combination; also that rye or wheat when mixed with clover 
made a good silage mixture. They reported that the most progressive 
farmers of the State were successfully siloing a legume with some mem¬ 
ber of the grass family. Reports from many States and correspondence 
with the Experiment Stations indicate that there is a growing tendency 
to silo cowpeas which have been grown with com. No data were given 
to show the type of acid fermentation in any of the above-mentioned 
crop mixtures. 
Recently the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station (n, 12) found 
that good silage resulted when com or molasses was mixed with alfalfa 
in the proportion of 1 to 10 or 1 to 20. The individual acids, however, 
were not determined, the total acidity being calculated as lactic acid. 
1 Published with the approval of the Director of the Idaho Experiment Station. 
a Reference is made by number (italic) to “ Literature cited," p. 23. 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Washington, D. C. 
pa 
Vol. XIV, No. 10 
Sept. 2, 1918 
Key No. Idaho-i 
(395) 
