378 



Bulletin 313 



Fifth cutting: When the seeds were ripe but not shattered, about 

 July 16. 



The experiments with timothy cut at these five different periods were 

 conducted for five years and the results should thus be reliable. 



The most suggestive and important point to consider first is the yield 

 per acre of dry matter. The results are shown in the following table 

 quoted from President Waters' paper: 



TABLE 4.* Yield of Dry Matter per Acre — Actual and Relative. 



Average of all Trials 



Stage of development 



Yield of 



dry matter 

 per acre 

 (pounds) 



Relative 

 yield 



First cutting, coming into blossom 



Second cutting, full bloom 



Third cutting, seed formed 



Fourth cutting, seed in dough . . . . 

 Fifth cutting, seed ripe 



83 

 96 

 100 

 98 

 91 



41 

 93 

 00 



75 

 63 



' Quoted from President Waters' Table IL 



It will be seen that the third cutting, when the seeds were just formed 

 and the bloom had all been shed, gave the largest yield of dry matter per 

 acre. The reader will be interested in knowing that this catting also 

 gave the largest yield of field-cured hay per acre. The relative yield of 

 field-cured hay per acre in each case followed the same order as the yield 

 of dry. matter per acre. 



The next most important factor in determining the value of the differ- 

 ent cuttings is shown by the relative yields of nutrients per acre. These 

 are given in Table 5. 



It will be seen from this table that the protein, ether extract (oils and 

 fat), and crude ash were obtained in highest per cent in the second cutting, 

 while the nitrogen-free extract and the crude fiber reached their greatest 

 quantity per acre in the fourth and third cuttings respectively. 



In order to obtain a still more rational view of the value of the hay cut 

 at different periods, we still need to know the yield of the digestible nutri- 

 ents per acre, which is shown in Table 6. 



It will be seen from this table that the timothy hay had reached its 

 maximum of digestible dry matter, protein, nitrogen-free extract, crude 

 fiber, and ash at the time of the second cutting, while the maximum vicld 

 of digestible ether extract, or fat, was not reached until the fourth cutting. 



