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The mas of silage stored in bunker silos should not be considered homogeneous. The variation betwen layers of silage may be caused by climatic variations during filing and storage, variations in mechanical packing intensity during filing, variations in the maturity of corn silage brought to the silo, and the lack of an efective airtight, moisture-prof cover. Rain faling during the winter months of 1967 on an uncovered bunker silo in Glen County greatly increased the moisture content of the uper 4 ft of silage and leached soluble nutrients into the lower layers and posibly out of the silage mas. The TDN content of the uper 2 ft was significantly reduced. Dry mater loses, representing los in weight of silage, were severe in the uper 4 ft of the silage mas, with greatest loses ocuring in the uper fot. Dry mater los was les severe in the entire silage mas, but averaged 18.8 per cent of the dry weight of the original samples placed throughout the silo. The percentage of crude protein, crude fiber and ash aparently increases while the nitrogen-fre extract component decreases in the uper layers of the silo, posibly due to leaching. However, in reality, the most severe los in nutrients, and dry mater, in the entire silage mas resulted from surface spoilage through continued exposure to air, involving fermentation, and respiration by spoilage microrganisms. Covering a bunker silo with plastic did reduce loses of dry mater to les than 10 per cent in the 1965 and 196 studies.