38 FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



wheat, barley, or other small grain crop, and puts his corn 

 into bins or cribs, so that he has every year an approxi- 

 mately accurate measure to compare with his estimates. 



Another factor that leads to exaggeration is the large 

 unit of measurement employed ; namely, the ton of 2000 

 pounds. The smallest fraction ever used in estimates 

 is ^ of a ton. 



The farmers' actual estimates are commonly based 

 on the wagon load, usually considered as being one ton, 

 but it is probable that the average wagon load is nearer 

 three-fourths of a ton. 



Only where hay is baled can the yield figures be con- 

 sidered reliable. Even in this case some allowance for 

 moisture needs to be made. Well-cured timothy hay con- 

 tains about 14 per cent of moisture, but as baled in the 

 field, the water content is usually higher. 



Experiment station yields are usually higher than those 

 obtained by farmers, as experimental plots are as a rule 

 small, and secure better treatment than farmers' fields. 



30. Brown hay. When climatic conditions interfere 

 with the curing of bright hay, the crop may be preserved 

 as brown hay. In this process the hay is cured largely 

 by the aid of the heat engendered in fermentation. After 

 cutting, the grass is made into cocks, trampling each layer 

 to make it as dense as practicable. In these cocks, the 

 heat engendered by fermentation may reach the boiling 

 point of water. The second or third day after cocking, 

 the piles are opened so as to permit the escape of the vapor, 

 after which the product may be safely housed. 



A more common process is to dry the hay as much as 

 possible in the air and then pile into compact stacks, where 

 it is permitted to remain until fed . The final product varies 

 in color from dark brown to nearly black. 



