36 A MANUAL OF FARM GRASSES 



enough to dry by ordinary air circulation, the whole 

 being under a roof. In wet, tropical countries, arti- 

 ficial drying machines have been used. The grass is 

 dried by a current of hot air. The machines are effective 

 but costly. 



The time to cut grass for hay depends somewhat on 

 the kind, but in general it should not be cut much before 

 flowering nor as late as the ripening of the seed. The 

 aim should be to obtain maximum weight and maximum 

 nutritive qualities. The weight increases up to the 

 time of the maturity of the seed, but the nutritive quality 

 decreases after flowering. Usually the combination is 

 greatest about half way between flowering and maturity. 

 Hay cut when in flower, however, usually has higher 

 nutritive quality. Furthermore, while the nutriment is 

 in the leaves as it is in the earlier condition it is more 

 available to stock than when it is mostly in the stems as 

 it is later, because the stems are not so readily eaten 

 By nutritive quality as here used is meant palatability 

 combined with digestibility. The value of hay depends 

 in large part on how much the animal is willing to eat. 



GRASS IN ROTATION 



Most of what has been said above in regard to care 

 refers to permanent meadows or pastures. In consider- 

 ing the question of temporary pastures or meadows, 

 certain aspects appear which modify greatly the method 

 of procedure. In permanent pastures the element of 

 labor beyond the first year is insignificant. Conse- 

 quently a lower return of interest on the investment is 

 permissible. The yield of permanent fields after the 



