391 



Maine Station, Annual Report, 1890, Parts III and IV (pp. 39 and 68). 



Eelativb yield of digestible material in early-cut and 

 LATE-CUT TIMOTHY HAY (pp. C5-G7).— Ill this trial 14 plats were used, 

 10 of which were 30 by 50 feet each, and the remaining 4, 33 by 90 feet. 

 The grass on one half of each plat was cut July 1, when the timothy was 

 in full bloom, and that on the other half Jidy IS. The hay from each 

 cutting was weighed at the time of putting in the barn and again tlie 

 following April, analyzed, and its digestibility determined with sheep, 

 two animals being fed the early-cut hay, and two others the late-cut hay 

 during 5 days. The yield of hay per acre, shrinkage in keeping, com- 

 position, and percentage of digestibility are tabulated for both cuttings. 



The yield per acre of the grass cut on July 1 was 4,225 pounds of dry hay, and of 

 tha fc cut July 18, 5,086 pounds. As would be expected from all previous analyses, the 

 early-cut hay proved to be the more nitrogenous and also the more digestible. From 

 the early-cut hay 56.07 per cent of the organic matter was digested and from the late- 

 cut hay only 50.7 per cent. Of total digestible material the late-cut hay proved to 

 contain the more, the amounts per acre being, early-cut 2,028 and late-cut 2 212 

 pounds. These figures stand somewhat in opposition to those obtained from the crop 

 of 1888, where the larger amount of digestible material was obtained from earlj^-cut 

 hay. 



Feeding experi3ients with colts (pp. 68-70).— An experiment 

 with three grade Percheron colts, 9, 16, and 18 months old, respectively, 

 to compare oats vs. a mixture of pea meal and wheat middhngs. The 

 rations were from February 13 to April 2, hay and 6 to 8 pounds of a mix- 

 ture of one third pea meal with two thirds middlings; April 3 to May 

 28, hay and 6 to 8 pounds of oats; May 29 to July 2, hay and 6 to 8 pounds 

 of a mixture of 1 part of i)ea meal and 4 parts middlings. The food 

 consumed and gain in weight are given for each colt diu-ing each of the 

 three periods, but the cost of the rations is not considered. " The 

 growth of the colts was somewhat irregular," but " the outcome of the 

 experiment is such as to show no superiority for the oats as food for 

 l)roducing gro^i^h merely. In fact if anything is indicated it is that 

 the advantage was with the mixture of peas and middlings." 



Feeding experiment with steers (pp. 71-74). — This included 

 Holstein, Shorthorn, and Hereford steers, two of each, ranging in age 

 from 5 to 8 months, and was designed to compare the growth of the 

 three breeds on the same rations, and to compare the effects of two 

 rations having different nutritive ratios when fed for a long time. One 

 steer from each breed was fed hay and a grain mixture consisting of 

 equal parts of cotton-seed meal, ground oats, and wheat bran ; the others 

 received hay and a grain mixture comi)osed of equal XDarts of corn meal, 

 ground oats, and wheat bran. The hay was fed ad libitum; of the grain 

 mixtures, 3 pounds per animal per day was given during the first 5 months, 

 and after that 4 pounds. The nutritive ratio of the corn-meal ration 

 was about 1:10; that of the other about 1:6.7. Serious accidents 

 occurred to three of the steers, which prematurely terminated the 



