194 BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



grown to advantage without any admixture, and can be har- 

 vested as late as the middle of July and still be in prime 

 condition. 



Harvesting the Grass Crop. 



In these days of improved machinery it is important to 

 handle the hay crop with as little hand labor as possible. 

 In the days of our grandfathers there was some excuse for 

 the haying season lasting until the first of September ; but 

 to-day, barring exceptional wet seasons, there is little reason 

 for continuing the haying later than the middle of July. A 

 common mistake made by our ancestors was in drying the 

 hay until it was crisp and brittle. There was perhaps more 

 necessity for this in olden times, when the barns were 

 slowly filled, as sufficient hay was not gotten in at one time 

 to create the fermentation needed to dry out the mow. If 

 the hay is partially dried in the field and is entirely free 

 from adhering moisture, and a large amount is stored to- 

 gether at onetime, the greater part of the drying and curing 

 can be left to take place in the barn. 



One of the most common errors is in allowing the hay 

 crop to become overripe. This not only reduces the 

 digestibility of the crop, but also greatly lessens the palata- 

 bility, — a fact too often overlooked in the feeding of dairy 

 stock. It would be economy, in case a large amount of hay 

 is to be harvested, to cut part of it even before the crop is 

 fully grown, rather than to allow any considerable portion 

 of it to become tough and woody by standing until the seed 

 is formed. Late-cut grass is not only less digestible and 

 less palatable than that cut while in bloom, but also requires 

 a greater amount of labor on the part of the animal to make 

 the food nutrients available. The labor performed in the 

 effort to make available this tough, woody material requires 

 energy that otherwise might be available for building up 

 direct animal products, such as meat and milk. 



The principal changes which take place in grass as it ad- 

 vances toward maturity are the increase in the proportion 

 of crude fibre and the storage of food materials in the seed, 

 neither of which conditions add to the feeding value of the 

 fodder. If the seed is allowed to develop, most of it is 



