May, 1938] 



Experiments With Grass Hay 



17 



Hay Yields 



Hay yields reported in Tables II to XVII are not high, but it must be 

 remembered that the plots were harvested on June 10. at the time tim- 

 othy plants are coming into head and before maximum growth had been 

 obtained. Had this hay been allowed to grow until it had more nearly 

 approached maturity, the yields would have been considerably higher. 



Financial Returns 



In the discussion following Table I. it was pointed out that the fer- 

 tilizer cost for the hay increase ranged from $5.48 to $7.88 per ton. de- 

 pending upon the treatment. Valuing hay at $12.00 per ton, this in- 

 crease would mean, roughlj^ that each dollar invested in fertilizer 

 brought in two dollars in increased hay. 



On the face of it, $12.00 per ton may seem a high valuation for hay in 

 the field. But if hay is to be cut anyway, mowing, raking, etc.. cost no 

 more with fertilizer than without. Furthermore, the slightly better 

 feeding value from the standpoint of protein or minerals affects all the 

 hay that is produced and not the increase alone. No attempt has been 

 made to evaluate this factor ; neither has any cost been ascribed to 

 spreading the fertilizer, an item that would vary from farm to farm but 

 which is usually a minor charge, since men and teams are not very busy 

 at the time of year when this must be done. 



This explanation may serve to help understand the calculations that 

 follow with respect to the economy of fertilizer usage. No attempt has 

 been made to calculate all the treatments reported where top-dressing 

 fertilizers were applied, for some of these were made to determine if 

 possible the upper limits of response to phosphoric acid and potash as 

 well as nitrogen, regardless of economy of treatment. 



A study of Table XVIII indicates that under the conditions stated no 

 severe losses were sustained from using any of the fertilizers and that 

 the returns from the best nitrogen carrier (Cal-Nitro) were $1.30 for 

 each dollar spent, the increase in hay costing $9.19 per ton. while the 

 best complete fertilizer paid back $1.78 for each dollar spent, the in- 

 creased hay costing but $6.84 per ton. It will be noted that the re- 

 turns per dollar invested and the cost for the hay increase for the 

 "average" nitrogen carrier do not show a profit and that the figures 

 for the "average" of the three complete fertilizers are not so encourag- 

 ing as for the best one. This is due largely to the increased cost of the 



Table XVIII. 



Cost and efficiency coniparisojis of fertilizers used on 

 Mathes farm. 



