54 



MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 216. 



English Hay — Concluded. 



Note. — Each series represents one winter's work, commencing about November 1 of each year and extending 

 through to mid-April or thereabouts. 



Three separate lots of hay were used in these experiments. It was of quite uniform 

 quality and composition and consisted of mixed grasses, largely Kentucky blue 

 grass, sweet vernal grass and some clover. It averaged in percentage of dry matter, 

 6.07 ash, 7.95 protein, 33.81 fiber, 49.52 nitrogen-free extract, and 2.65 fat. Such 

 hay is rather richer in protein and has a higher degree of digestibility than has 

 average timothy hay. The digestion results are on the whole quite uniform. It is 

 interesting in this connection to compare the general average of the present results 

 with the average of five earlier lots here cited and originally reported in Bulletin 

 181 of this Station. The close agreement of the two sets of coefficients in all items 

 except fat emphasizes the fact that, when any considerable number of results are 

 averaged, the resultant average is a pretty close approximation to accuracy and 

 an accepted standard, even though there be considerable variation among the 

 individual data. 



Note. — In all of these trials with the exception of period 3, Series XXVI, the ration fed was 500 grams of hay 

 and 150 grams of gluten feed. In the exception noted, the ration was 550 grams of hay and 150 grams of gluten 

 feed. I3ecause of this difference in the ration fed, these results are not averaged. 



