Sulfur Dioxide Preservation of Forage Crops

One of the most difficult problems in grassland farming is that of storing the crop for later feeding. Most forage crops are produced and should be harvested for their maximum feeding value at a time of year when it is very difficult to field-dry and nlake thenl into hay. In efforts to find a better method of preserving forage crops, Knodt (4) treated successfully the contents of a silo with SO_~ at the rate of 5 lb. per ton of green material. Alternate loads of tinlothyred clover were placed in two silos which were filled using 200 lb. of hominy and 5 lb. of SO.,, respectively, per ton of green material. In a feeding trial with lactating Holstein dairy cows fed 60 lb. of silage per day, the two silages were equal in feeding value, on a pound-for-pound basis. Twice as much carotene was found in the SO~_ silage as in the hominy-treated silage when fed.