CHAPTER XIII 



THE SMALLER GRASSES STRAW HAY-MAKING 



I. THE SMALLER GRASSES. 



The great grain-bearing plants Indian corn, wheat, rye, barley, oats, 

 rice, and the sorghums are all members of the grass family, tho they 

 are annuals and require careful cultivation. The smaller grasses are 

 nearly all perennials, thriving without cultivation and producing rough- 

 age of high grade. In the humid regions Nature everywhere spreads a 

 carpet of soft, green grass that beautifies the landscape and furnishes 

 an abundance of palatable food for animals. Even in the desert the 

 grasses struggle for existence and yield rich nutriment, tho in meager 

 amount. For recuperating the soil and binding it together and for 

 furnishing food to the domestic animals, the smaller grasses are of 

 supreme importance. In summertime in those regions where grasses 

 flourish, the animals of the farm largely feed themselves, and meat, milk, 

 and wool are produced at the minimum cost for labor. 



The smaller grasses may be divided into the sod-formers and non-sod- 

 formers. The sod-formers spread by creeping stems below or above 

 ground. This group includes our most valuable pasture and lawn 

 grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass and Bermuda grass. The non-sod- 

 fonners grow in tufts or bunches, and tho they may increase in size by 

 stooling, do not otherwise spread except by seed. Orchard grass is an 

 example of this class. Certain grasses of the group, as timothy, increase 

 to a limited extent by development and division of bulbs at the base 

 of the stems. 



310. Nutrients in grasses at different stages. Few stockmen realize 

 the great differences in composition between young, immature grass and 

 the same grass at the stage of maturity when usually cut for hay. At 

 the time when cut for hay, the smaller grasses are relatively low in 

 protein compared with carbohydrates and fat, and hence hay from the 

 grasses should always be fed with feeds rich in protein. On the other 

 hand, young, immature grass is rich in protein, compared with the other 

 nutrients it contains. At the Kentucky Station 1 Good found that blue- 

 grass, rye, wheat, and oats, when only 5 to 8 inches tall, contained as 

 high a percentage of protein as green alfalfa or clover. This shows that 

 immature grasses, such as are usually gathered by grazing animals, are 

 protein-rich feeds, and it explains the favorable results secured by feed- 

 ing only corn, a feed very low in protein, to fattening steers on pasture. 

 Tho young grass is richer in protein than more mature grass, a larger 



Ky. Rpt. 1911-13, p. 9. 



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