266 THE INDIAN JOURNAL OF VETERINARY SCIENCE AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY [I, IV.

Table XVII. It will be seen therefrom that volatile bases and amino acids
increase on ensilage, while asparagin diminishes. While the production of volatile
bases is not much affected by the alteration in the conditions of ensilage, it is
quite significant, that, in the unwatered pits, the amino acids show a considerable
diminution in two bags, is not much affected in another, and one shows an increase.
It is also the amino acids which bring out clearly the effects of leaching, especially
in the watered pits, by the draining down of the expressed juice, e.g., No. 7 bag
which was at the top shows a loss, while No. 5 at the bottom records a large gain.
Similarly, No. 17, an upper bag, shows a much smaller increase than No. 15, the
corresponding lower one.

It is also noteworthy that there was a greater production of amino acids in this
experiment than in the last one and hence the ratio of volatile bases to amino acids
(Table XVIII) is lower than the figures of the older experiment. The increase in
volatile bases over amino acids produced, confirms the previous work in India,
that good silage can result in spite of a higher production of the former over the
latter. The ratio is consistently less than unity and the average of 0.62 could be
given as supporting the observation of the Cambridge workers, that in good silage
the ratio is small.

                                 C. Changes in the Ether Extract.
The most important component of the plant which is primarily affected by
bacterial action during ensilage is the carbohydrate fraction, which is converted
into organic acids, carbon-di-oxide and water. The organic acids are all soluble in
ether and hence they are included in the term ether extract. The increase under
this head in a measure of organic acid production, and hence, indirectly, of bacte-
rial activity in the silos. There is always a very considerable increase in the ether
extract as the result of ensilage. An average increase of 103.8 per cent., for the
four pits, has been recorded. The individual figures may be seen from Tables XII
to XV. In all cases the bottom bags show a greater increase than the top ones.
This is probably due to the leaching action of the expressed juice which washes
down the soluble constituents as it descends, thus depleting the upper layers and
enriching the lower strata.

Table XIX gives in detail the changes in the volatile as well as non-volatile
organic acids as the result of ensilage. It will be seen therefrom that very large in-
creases take place in both constituents. Another significant fact revealed therein
is the considerably larger production of volatile organic acids in the watered pits.
The same remark holds good for the non-volatile acids as well. It is also noticeable
that rapidity of filling has a similar influence in increasing the organic acid pro-
duction, though to a smaller extent than watering.