CHAPTER II 



CONSERVATION OF FEEDING-STUFFS 



(i) The making of hay. 



IF green fodder plants of a not too succulent 

 nature are dried in the air and nothing lost 

 by the breaking off of the stem, leaf, or seed, it is 

 found that the digestibility of the green food and 

 the hay made from it is practically the same. In 

 the case of fresh lucerne 57*8% of the organic 

 matter was digested, whilst the hay from it, care 

 having been taken to prevent any loss, had a 

 digestibility coefficient of 57*2%. Nevertheless, 

 when green plants are dried in the air, even when 

 on a smooth surface and every particle carefully 

 collected, a not unimportant loss takes place. 

 This arises chiefly from the fact that as long as the 

 plants are living they carry on the process of respira- 

 tion by which proteins are decomposed and the 

 nitrogen-free substances suffer loss. Young grass 

 which had been left to lie for ten days at io° C in 

 the air lost 12% of dry matter by respiration and 

 mangel leaves lying for six days lost 8%. It is 

 clear that these losses can be considerable when 

 owing to a low temperature or a moist atmosphere, 

 the process of drying is slow. 



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