GRASS AND HAY 179 



Palatability of Hay. There is another factor which is very im- 

 portant in determining the feeding value of hay; this is palatabil- 

 ity. A hay may be high in nutriente, but if it lacks palatability it is 

 not as valuable a feed as a hay that is poorer in nutrients but is very 

 palatable. Timothy is a very palatable hay, and this is one of the 

 chief reasons why it is standard in most markets. In addition to this, 

 a horse can be fed a large quantity of it and will suffer no ill effects 

 if given a hard drive immediately after having eaten the hay. 



Palatability may depend largely on the time the hay is cut and 

 on the method of curing. Redtop may be cited as an example. It 

 is quite generally true that in most markets feeders discriminate 

 severely against redtop whenever it is found mixed in with any other 

 kind of hay. They claim that redtop has no feeding value and that 

 horses will not eat it. The point that the feeder overlooks is that 

 when redtop is cut too late it has a bitter taste, is not palatable, and 

 horses do not relish it, but if cut early it has a sweet taste, is very 

 palatable, and is more nutritious than timothy hay. When buying 

 timothy that contains redtop, feeders should examine it carefully in 

 order to see if the redtop was cut early and properly cured. If it is 

 properly cut and cured it does not lower the quality or feeding value 

 of the timothy, but if found to have been cut late then me bid 

 should be lowered accordingly. It is very seldom that redtop is cut 

 at the proper time, and it is safe to say that perhaps not over one- 

 half of the crop is cut early enough. 



Again, there are kinds of hay that when first fed appear to lack 

 palatability, but after the horse has acquired a taste for the hay he 

 does very well on it. On the other hand, some kinds are eaten greed- 

 ily when fed for the first time. Alfalfa is a hay that is usually very 

 palatable when first fed. In fact, for horses palatability may be 

 an objection in some cases. Many horse feeders have tried alfalfa 

 and are of the opinion that it is of no value for horses. 



Upon careful inquiry it has been found that in a large per- 

 centage of the cases where serious results were experienced from 

 feeding alfalfa it was on account of ignorance as to the nutritive 

 value of the hay. Unwise use, such as feeding in too large quanti- 

 ties, has led many to become prejudiced against it. If alfalfa hay 

 is properly fed it will be found one of the most valuable feeds, espe- 

 cially for heavy draft horses. 



Digestibility of Hay. The digestibility of the nutrients in hay 

 is another factor that is important in determining its value. If only 

 a small part of the nutrients is digestible, or if a part has been lost by 

 faulty methods of haymaking, then the feeding value is lowered 

 correspondingly. The digestibility may be lowered and the total 

 amount of nutrients lessened by improper curing and handling of 

 the hay. 



Plants like clover and alfalfa which have a large amount of nu- 

 tritious leaves often lose a considerable portion of them on account 

 of poor methods of curing. Alfalfa hay cured under ordinary con- 

 ditions will lose from 15 to 20 per cent of its leaves. The loss may 

 amount to from 50 to 60 per cent. Alfalfa hay which lm.s lost the 



