The number of days that rain occurs during the first crop and the 

 quantity of rainfall affects the starting" date of the second crop. If there 

 are many days of rain, harvest of second crop will be delayed due to the 

 limitation of the harvesting system to handle the quantity of forage. On 

 the other hand, if rainfall is abundant during first crop harvest, the 

 aftermath grows faster than otherwise, and the second crop can be 

 mowed and harvested sooner. Conversely, less rainfall during first crop 

 means a longer growth period for aftermath, and the length of time 

 between the mowing of first and second crops is lengthened. 



These were 3 starting dates used for each weather pattern: June 1, 

 15, and 30. These dates represent early, medium, and late-cut forage, 

 respectively. 



Labor and Machinery Requirements 



In determining the labor and machinery requirements and input- 

 output relations, labor was assumed to be used at all times in conjunc- 

 tion with equipment; i.e., when a man was working, he was using some 



Table 1. Total percentage losses of first and second crop forages 

 by various harvesting methods* 



Percentage of total crop lost 



Method 



Forage Rained on 

 1-5 days 5 plus days 



Forage not 

 rained on 



* These losses were determined statistically from many experiments reported in 

 bulletins, 2 of which are: Ross, V. E., and Fellows, I. F., An Economic Evaluation 

 of the Barn-Finishing Method of Harvesting Hay, Storrs Agr. Expt. Sta. Bui. 227, 

 1951; and Trimberger, G. W., et al.. Effect of Curing Methods and Stage of Maturity 

 upon Feeding Values of Roughages, Cornell Agr. Expt. Sta. Bui. 910, 1955. 



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