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A conservation experiment is described in which the losses entailed in ensuing heavily-wilted herbage of 37-43% dry-matter content either by complete sealing in polythene alone, or by complete sealing followed by evacuation of air, were investigated. The metabolizable energy values of the grass and silages were determined, and the silage volatile-acids fraction investigated by gas chromatography. The results indicate that there are no significant fermentation differences between the two types of silage. The mean dry-matter loss for the sealed, unevacuated silos was 6.5% and for the evacuated silos 7.8%. These losses, and the individual crude- and digestible-nutrient losses, are discussed in relation to other published work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]