CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. 



369 



crop and only 17.39 per cent of the fiber. The nitrogen-free ex- 

 tract is not so disproportionately divided between the stalks 

 and the leaves. Over four-fifths of the fat is furnished by the 

 leaves and flowers, though they make up but little over two- 

 fifths of the weight. We see from this the exceeding import- 

 ance of so handling the crop as to preserve the leaves and 

 flowers. By the loss of all of these the feeding value will be 

 impaired much more than the loss in weight would indicate. 



Loss by Weathering. It is apparent to all that alfalfa hay is 

 greatly damaged by rain. This is due not only to fermentations 

 that may accompany the process and to mechanical losses, but 

 also to the fact that soluble substances are dissolved out and 

 removed. Observations have been made by the Colorado ex- 

 periment station upon a hay which was exposed in the field for 

 fifteen days, during which time it was subjected to three rains, 

 amounting to 1.76 inches. The following table shows ' the per- 

 centage composition of the damaged and of the undamaged hay: 



The above figures as given show that the damaged hay is 

 considerably inferior to the undamaged, but like many other 

 percentage statements is liable to be misunderstood, or at least 

 not completely understood. It must not be supposed that the 

 protein and nitrogen-free extract have been converted into crude 

 fiber, although the damaged hay contains nearly 39 per cent, 

 of crude fiber, where the undamaged hay had 26.5 per cent; 

 at the same time the protein and nitrogen-free extract are pres- 

 ent in much smaller quantity in the damaged hay. The facts 

 are that undoubtedly portions of all these food principles have 

 been lost from the crop as a whole, but that the protein and 

 the nitrogen-free extract have suffered much more propor- 

 tionately than the crude fiber, this being almost insoluble and 

 not subject to rapid fermentation. 



A much more instructive view of the actual losses is ob- 

 tained by additional calculations. The loss sustained by the 

 alfalfa naturally fell most heavily upon the soluble and more 

 easily decomposed substances. The most resistant of the con- 

 stituents was the fiber, which probably suffered but little. Tak- 

 ing the crop as a whole then there would be as much or nearly 

 as much fiber as there was before, excepting that which was lost 



