SILAGE INVESTIGATIONS AT BANGALORE                   263

                                       DISCUSSION OF RESULTS.

                 A. Changes in Moisture, Dry matter and Organic matter.

Tables IV to VII contain some of the information gained from the bags in
pits 1 to 4 respectively.

Pit No. 1.—The fresh weight of silage is considerably more than the green weight
of Jowar ensiled, evidently due to the addition of water. The loss of dry matter
due to ensilage is fairly uniform (Table IV), the average being 5.71 per cent. and
10.07 per cent. on the corrected and uncorrected basis respectively. The uncor-
rected figure is given to emphasise the degree of error introduced if due allowance
is not made for the loss of volatile ingredients. As will be seen, this error is fully
equal to the loss of dry matter on the corrected basis. The loss of organic matter
naturally follows closely the loss of dry matter. In this case the average loss is
5.3 per cent. (Table XII), which is slightly lower than the dry matter loss.

Pit No. 2.—Here there is very little change in the fresh weight as the result
of ensilage (Table V) owing probably to the fact that watering was not done. The
same cause accounts for the extremely dry quality of the resultant silage. But
there is a distinct lowering, slight though it be, in the percentage dry matter as the
result of ensilage. This is probably due to the absorption of the water resulting
from the oxidation of the material during fermentation and bacterial action. The
loss of dry matter agrees well with that noted in No. 1 pit above, being 6.51 per
cent. and 8.26 per cent. on the corrected and uncorrected basis respectively. The
loss of organic matter in this pit is 7.4 per cent. (Table XIII), which is slightly
more than that of the loss of dry matter.

Pit No. 3.—This has also produced a wet silage like No. 1, due to watering,
having a much lower percentage dry matter in the silage than in the green Jowar.
The loss of dry matter here is considerably more than in any other pit. This can
only be due to rapid filling, causing the retention in the mass of material of a very
considerable quantity of air which stimulated the rapid oxidative changes and
bacterial action at the expense of the organic matter. Watering would certainly
help, but that it is not the main cause is seen from the fact, that No. 1 pit which
was also watered shows, comparatively, only a very low loss. The losses of dry
matter on the corrected and uncorrected basis work out on an average to 13.59
per cent. and 18.73 per cent. respectively (Table VI), being roughly double the
loss noticed in the other pits. The organic matter, at whose expense this exten-
sive bacterial action takes place, naturally shows a very high loss, viz., 16.3 per
cent. (Table XIV). Here also this loss is more than that of the dry matter.

Pit No. 4.—As has already been stated before, this pit was unfortunately
spoilt owing to the soaking in of a very large amount of water, a wet silage being