Hay and Straw. 



47 



It is generally believed that aftermath is less nutritious than 

 hay. This may, indeed, be the case, for the aftermath, which is 

 made at a later period of the year, when rainy days are more 

 abundant, often remains a long time in the field before it can be 

 stacked, and thus is deteriorated in value by unpropitious weather. 

 When, however, aftermath is cut not too late in the season, and 

 fair and warm weather allows its being made rapidly into hay, it is 

 quite as valuable as the hay of the first cut. That it may be even 

 more nutritious than the first hay, appears from the following 

 comparative experiments by Dr. Keyser : 



These results show that the preparation of flesh-forming matters 

 is greater, and that of woody fibre smaller, in aftermath than in the 

 hay of the same meadow, and that consequently the former is the 

 more valuable of the two. It ought to be mentioned that the hay 

 was repeatedly washed by heavy rains, whereas the aftermath 

 was harvested in very favourable weather, in consequence of which 

 the former had a bleached appearance, whilst in the latter the 

 green colour and aromatic taste were preserved ; the aftermath, 

 moreover, was softer and finer than the hay. 



Straw. The following table represents the average composition 

 of the straw of cereals : 



