CHAPTER XI 

 COARSE FEEDS, OR ROUGHAGE 



The coarse feeds, or roughage, include the grasses and 

 legumes of different kinds, the cereals (as forage), straws, 

 silage, roots, rape, cabbage, or any similar feeds, whether 

 green or dried as hay. Anything of a bulky nature, consist- 

 ing largely of crude fiber, of which an animal must eat con- 

 siderable to obtain much nutriment, is a coarse feed. In the 

 dried form, like hay or corn stover, the western farmer has 

 been accustomed to refer to them as roughage. In some 

 sections of our country, farmers have certain feeds that are 

 more common than in other parts of the country. Farmers 

 in the North, for example, look to red clover or timothy hay 

 for standard roughage; in the South, cowpea hay or Japanese 

 clover is common; while in Kansas and Colorado alfalfa is 

 a standard. Some plants, however, are more commonly 

 grown than others, and so will receive special attention in a 

 brief way in this chapter. 



PASTURES, GREEN GRASSES AND HAYS 



The value of the grasses depends upon their develop- 

 ment. When grass is young and very green, especially in 

 spring, it contains a large percentage of water, and is greatly 

 relished by stock. As it matures, the amount of protein and 

 total nutriment increases. Usually we find the food con- 

 stituents, especially protein, most digestible when the plant 

 is in full bloom. After that period the stalk and leaves grow 

 more woody and less nutritious. When left to develop long 

 after blooming, neither the pasture nor the hay is eaten with 

 great relish. In experiments at the Missouri station, the 

 protein in timothy cut for hay was greatest when the plant 

 was in full bloom, there being 147 pounds to the acre. When 



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