154 SCIENTIFIC FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



With those plants which are cultivated for hay, 

 and where it is desirable to preserve as much of the 

 digestible nutrients as possible, it is seen from 

 these investigations that the best time for harvest 

 is usually during the first half of the flowering 

 period. If the grass is cut earlier, although the 

 percentage amount of digestible material may be 

 higher, the total quantity is still small. A food 

 richer in nutrients but of less value is obtained when 

 the harvest is taken some time after flowering. The 

 balance of profit seems to lie with the early harvest, 

 for then the quality is superior although the quantity 

 suffers. 



(b) The nutritive value of the fodder plants 

 depends also to a certain measure upon the variety. 

 Between the various cultivated forms of one and 

 the same species of plant great variations are 

 observed. These manifest themselves in many 

 ways, the chief being the difference in time of growth, 

 the weight of produce and the formation of stem 



