I. Yield and Persistency of Bromegrass Hay 

 as Affected by Rate of Nitrogen Fertilization 



and Time of Harvest 



Introduction 



Under New England conditions, grass forages are easier to establish 

 than legumes and with projjer fertilization will have a comparable pro- 

 tein content. Bromegrass, rather than timothy, was selected for evalu- 

 ation of yield and nutritive content as influenced by fertilization and 

 stage of maturity because it appears to remain palatable for a longer 

 period, generally yields more dry matter, and has a higher protein con- 

 tent. 



Review of Literature 



Considerable research on grassland fertilization has been conducted 

 by New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station personnel (8, 9, 

 10). Work at Maine (6) and Pennsylvania (12), indicate that while 

 early-cut hay has a high nutritive value, the yields of dry matter increase 

 as the date of initial harvest is delayed. In a study of nitrate accumula- 

 tion in plants, Gilbert et al. (4) found that conditions favoring high ni- 

 trates were: 1. high nitrogen in the soil, 2. young vegetation, 3. shady 

 areas, 4. drought or low temperature, 5. form of nitrogen. Raniage et al. 

 (11) reported that in a three year experiment in New Jersey, applica- 

 tions of nitrogen increased the crude protein and decreased the nitrogen 

 free extract and ash of orchardgrass and reed canarygrass. 



Experimental Procedure 



To provide material for feeding trials by the Department of Dairy Sci- 

 ence, plots of one hundred feet by seven hundred feet, located at Price 

 Field, Northwood, New Hampshire were seeded to bromegrass in the 

 early fall of 1956. All plots received the same rate of phosphorus and 

 potassium (500 pounds of 0-25-25 per acre per year). There were vari- 

 ations in the amounts of nitrogen fertilizer and the dates of harvest. The 

 nitrogen fertilizer used throughout the experiment was urea. 



During the first year of the experiment, 1957. material from plots 

 which had received total nitrogen applications of fifty and one hundred 

 pounds of nitrogen per acre was available for study. The plots were har- 

 vested at three stages of maturity, early boot, flowering, and soft dough. 

 In the suljsequent years ( 1958 and 1959 ) , the plots were fertilized at 

 rates of 50, 100, 200, and 400 pounds of nitrogen per acre. The three 

 highest rates of nitrogen were applied in a split application with half 

 before the first cutting and half afterward. Limit of accuracy of the dis- 

 tributing equipment, prevented splitting the fifty pound rate of nitro- 

 gen, all of which was applied prior to the first cutting. 



During the first two years of the study, the loose hay was chopped 

 into a specially built drier. The dried hay was bagged and weighed. In 

 the third year of the experiment, the hay was baled in the field, then 

 placed in a commercial drier. 



