SUBDIVISION OF EXPERIMENTS. 



A. General information concerning salt marsh hays. 



B. Names and condition of salt hays tested. 



C. Composition of salt hays. 



D. Digestibility of salt hays. 



E. JNIilk production with salt hays. 



F. Effect of salt hays on the flavor of milk and butter. 



G. Effect of salt hay on the composition of milk. 

 H. Detailed data of milk experiments. 



I. General data. 



A. General Information Concerning Salt-Marsh Hays. 



Reasons for experiments : At the country meeting of the State 

 Board of Agricultuie, held at Newburyport in December, 1894, con- 

 siderable discussion was indulged in relative to the feeding value 

 of different varieties of salt ncarsh hay. It was quite evident from 

 the various opinions expressed, and from the lack of any data 

 obtained from actual feeding experiments, that carefully conducted 

 feeding trials were neces&ary, in order to obtain definite knowledge 

 on the subject. Asa step in this direction, four samples of salt hay 

 were obtained through the kindness of Messrs. F. W. Sargent and J. 

 Q. Evans of Amesbury. These hays were locally known as black 

 grass, branch grass, high grown salt hay and fox grass. The two 

 latter were practically identical, excepting that the former grew on 

 rather more elevated marshes. 



The hays were analyzed, their digestibility determined by feeding 

 them to mature sheep, and the results published in the report of the 

 Hatch P^xperiment Station for 1896. The keen interest excited in 

 these' tests, and the desire expressed by many for still further inves- 

 tigation led to procuring six different varieties, amounting in all to 

 ten tons, during the autumn of 1896. These were fed to the milch 

 cows and sheep ; this bulletin contains a description of these exper- 

 iments, and of the results obtained. 



Salt marsh areas. Salt marshes occur to a considerable extent 

 along the entire' coast of INIassachusetts, from Salisbury to New Bed- 

 ford. According to the census of Massachusetts for 1885, the entire 

 area of salt marsh is about 23,000 acres, yielding some 21,000 odd 



