94 



Missouri Agricultural Report. 



The green samples were taken as soon as cut and did not lose 

 any of its moisture content. 



The barn samples were cut and cured in the field in the ordi- 

 nary way and were taken from the barn after being there about 

 one month. 



The samples of artificially cured hay were taken as soon as 

 cut and cured in forty minutes. The first two were analyzed a few 

 days after curing, and the last sample was baled immediately after 

 curing and left in the bale for eight weeks. 



It is interesting to note that the samples of artificially cured 

 hay contain on the average a larger per cent of nutritive elements 

 than the samples of the field cured hay. This is very noticeable in 

 the protein content of the samples. 



The average protein content of the two first samples of arti- 

 ficially cured hay is 18.68 per cent, while the average of the sam- 

 ples taken from the barn is 13.71 per cent. This gives a difference 

 of 4.98 per cent, or, the artificially cured hay contains 27.5 per 

 cent more protein than the barn hay. When considering its pro- 

 tein content the artificially cured hay is worth one-fourth more 

 than the other; that is, one ton of artificially cured hay is equal 

 to one and one-fourth tons of hay cured in the field by the com- 

 mon methods. 



The amount of ash in the artificially cured hay is a little 

 higher than the field cured hay. 



In crude fiber the barn hay is lower. In the nitrogen free 

 extract the barn cured hay is from 5 to 9 per cent higher than in 

 the artificially cured. 



In summing up the results of the analyses, it shows that so 

 far as the actual amount of nutritive elements is concerned, the 



