Table 2 



Effect of cutting date on digestibility of ingredients 

 and nutritive value of redtop hay 



Digestibility 



The digestibility of the dry matter, energy, protein, and fiber de- 

 creased as the date of first cutting was delayed, the decrease being more 

 consistently pronounced in the case of the protein. This confirms results 

 with other forage species, the nutritive values of which have been esti- 

 mated at the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station and re- 

 ported previously (3, 4, 5, 6, 11). The digestibilities determined with 

 sheep show very close agreement with the corresponding values deter- 

 mined with cattle. 



Nutritive value 



The nutritive value of the hays (Table 2) was determined on the 

 basis of the total digestible nutrients, digestible protein, digestible 

 energy, metabolizable energy, and net energy, all values being deter- 

 mined directly. 



The nutritive values of the hays determined by using steers and 

 sheep showed very close agreement. The order of acceptability of the 

 hays by sheep followed the order of the digestibility. The maximum 

 quantity voluntarily consumed by three adult wethers was higher in the 

 early-cut hays. 



