SUDAN GRASS HAY 481 



As would be expected there is a decrease in the protein and a 

 slight increase in the crude fi'ber content. These changes are 

 marked in the case of the protein but the other constituents are 

 fairly constant. The significance of this is that from the time 

 Sudan grass heads out until it is fully ripe there is very little 

 change in the fiber content of the dry matter and consequently 

 the time of cutting can he delayed wathout much risk of the hay 

 becoming too coarse. This suggests a distinct advantage if the 

 haying season is wet — the cutting of the Sudan grass may advan- 

 tageously be postponed for a week or ten days if there is a pros- 

 pect of the weather impro\'ing. 



In spite of the fact that Sudan gTass is now grown in quite an 

 extensive territory it has been fed but little experimentally. 

 Large amounts of Sudan hay are consumed annually yet only in 

 one or two cases have accurate records been kept of the results 

 it produced. 



So far only one digestion trial has been conducted with Sudan 

 grass hay. This work consisted of a five day test period with a 

 two-year-old bull and the results of it are given below. 



TABLE IV. 

 DIGESTIBILITY OF SUDAN GRASS HAY.9 



Constituent 



D'IGESTIOjy 



Coefficient 



The digestion coefficients for Sudan grass hay obtained at the 

 Maryland Experiment Station compare well with those for other 

 nonleguminous roughages. 



At the Kansas Experiment Station Sudan grass hay was com- 

 pared with alfalfa hay as a roughage for dairy cows. Two lots 

 of three cows each were used. There were two thirty-day test 

 periods. In the first period Lot I received alfalfa hay and Lot 

 II Sudan grass hay, while in the second test period the rongh^ 

 ages for the two lots were reversed. 



»Bul. 194 ; Md. Sta. 

 31 



