NEW TREATMENT OF SILAGE

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27736, 13 August 1955, Page 5

NEW TREATMENT OF SILAGE

SODIUM BISULPHITE TO BE USED AGAIN The treatment of silage with sodium bisulphate has been tried for the first time at Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, with resuts that "warrant repetition.’’ A silage bun used in the last month was reported to be of good quality, had a pH factor of 4.7, a total dry matter content of 29.3 percent., with 17.2 per cent, of protein on an air-dried basis. Mr C. E. Iversen, senior lecturer in field husbandry, told the board that the method was developed at Pennsylvania State College by a Dr. Cowans, a young man who had fed a lot of silage as a youth, qualified m chemistry, and then chose this subject for research. He had been invited to attend next year’s grasslands conference. There were doubts in some other states of America whether this treatment was any improvement but Lincoln thought further tests worthwhile, although the cost was rather high, Mr Iversen said. The present test had been made with cut silage to assist mixing, he said when asked if sodium bisulphate was suitable for uncut silage. The college could advise farmers interested.