Crops. 



Louses by Rain to 100 Pounds of Alfalfa Hay. 



199 



Not only has nearly one-third of the total dry matter been lost, 

 but over one-third of this loss has fallen upon protein, which is 

 the most valuable constituent of the hay. For every pound of 

 protein in the damaged hay, one and one-half pounds have been 

 lost by exposure. 



Curing processes may seriously affect the composition of 

 crops. Alfalfa hay furnishes a striking example of this fact. 

 When cut early, this crop bears 73 pounds of leaf for 100 pounds 

 of stem. The leaf, however, is much richer in nutrients than 

 the stem. Thus, for 100 pounds of each constituent in the stems, 

 the leaves of an equivalent amount of crop in each case will 

 contain of: fat, 450 pounds; protein, 250 pounds; nitrogen free 

 extract, 135 pounds; crude fiber, 28 pounds. That portion of 

 the crop especially subject to mechanical loss in hay making is 

 therefore the most valuable as fodder. 



Headden has estimated the mechanical loss of alfalfa in har- 

 vesting at 15 to 20 per cent of the dry crop. In extreme cases 

 60 per cent or more may be left on the field. This loss falls 

 chiefly upon the leafy tissue. More valuable hay will be secured 

 if the crop is cut between early and full bloom and handled to 

 a minimum extent, than if it is allowed to become brittle by aging 

 or over-curing at harvest and then excessively handled. 



Fertilizers influence the 'composition of the crop to a limited 

 extent, both by their amount and their nature. This effect has 

 been observed principally with reference to the increase of pro- 



