168 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Good lucern-hay lost, in consequence of an exposure to 

 some rain -showers, within two days, 7.13 per cent of its dry 

 matter (O. KeUner) ; in another case, where the lucern-hay 

 had within six days repeatedly suffered from rains, a loss of 

 16.7 per cent of dry matter was noticed. The nitrogenous 

 and non-nitrogenous soluble constituents of the plants are 

 mainly affected by rain. The stage of growth, the more or 

 less advanced state of dryness of hay, and the surrounding 

 temperature, control here, to a large degree, the extent of 

 the loss in soluble organic matter. 



Fodder-plants like clover, with coarse juic}'' stems and 

 tender leaves, usually suffer seriously in their feeding value, 

 by frequent handling, from loss of leaves, which are the 

 most nutritive parts of the plant. The loss due to this 

 source shows itself everywhere in the inferior digestibility 

 of a common clover-haj^ used in actual trials, as compared 

 with carefully prepared clover-hay, where a large proportion 

 of its loaves had been saved. The differences in the rate of 

 digestibility of the various constituents of green clover and 

 clover-hay, obtained from the same crop, arising from the 



