36 



BULLETIN 981, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



coming until the seed ripens. The stems, however, become woody 

 after seed has set; therefore the hay from cuttings made about the 

 time the grass heads is somewhat more palatable than later cuttings. 



Table VI. — Composition and yield per acre of the principal food elements in Sudan grass 

 v:hen cut at different stages of maturity. 



Stage of maturity. 



Number 



of 

 samples. 



Total 



dry 



matter. 



Ash. 



Ether 

 extract. 



Protein. 



Crude Nitrogen- 

 extract. 



fiber. 



Computed on the basis of actual 

 dry matter: 

 Very young, IS to 24 inches 



tall 



Just before heading 



First heads appearing 



Beginning to bloom 



Seed in milk or soft -dough 



stage 



Seed fully mature 



Yields per acre at Havs, Kans., 

 1915 to 1918: 

 Just before heading, two 



cuttings 



Cut as first heads appeared 



and again at frost 



Cut when beginning to 



bloom and again at frost, 



in 1915 and 1916 



Seed in soft-dough stage; 



only one cutting 



Per cent. 

 100 

 100 

 100 



100 



100 

 100 



Pounds. 

 3,235 



3,802 

 4,093 



Per cent. 

 10.77 

 9.26 

 8.74 

 8.19 



7.20 

 7.35 



Pounds. 

 355 



Per cent. 

 1.52 

 1.98 

 1.72 



1.68 



1.64 

 1.38 



Pounds. 

 62 



Per cent. 

 13.58 

 12.89 

 11.54 

 9.82 



8.73 

 6.03 



Pounds. 

 471 



373 

 361 



506 



421 

 352 



Per cent. 

 25.54 

 27.05 

 28.38 

 31.15 



29.26 

 36.71 



Pounds. 

 923 



1,196 

 1.336 



Per cent. 

 48. 59 

 48. S2 

 49.62 

 49.16 



53.17 

 48. .53 



Pounds. 

 1,424 



1,786 



1.752 

 1,982 



Local conditions should largely govern the time of cutting. When 

 insect pests threaten or drought or frost checks growth, it frequently 

 pays to mow Sudan grass if it is 2 or 3 feet high whether it is headed 

 or not. Scarcity of hay or the approach of a very busy season may 

 also justify such early cutting. Rush of work and the desire to harvest 

 seed are valid reasons for late cutting, for even thrashed Sudan grass 

 is a fairly good roughage. 



MACHINERY. 



The mowing machine is usually employed in harvesting Sudan 

 grass hay, especially that less than 4 to 5 feet high. If the crop is 

 fed green, a little at a time, an ordinary scythe may well be used 



Grain binders work well on both rows and broadcast Sudan grass 

 3 to 6 feet high. Cultivated rows more than 5 feet high are best 

 handled with a corn binder. (Fig. 20.) In 1915 some Kansas 

 growers cut very tall broadcasted Sudan grass and sweet sorghums 

 with a corn binder by attaching an extension arm on one side to make 

 it gather in and cut a swath 2 to 3 feet wide. Though loose Sudan 

 grass hay is much easier to pitch than the coarser sorghums, many 

 farmers consider that the added cost in binding tall grass is more than 

 offset by the convenience of handling. In humid regions the hay 

 may spoil in the bundle if bound green. 



CURING AND STORING. 



In dry windy regions the crop, if bound, may be set up at once in 

 substantial shocks. If mowed, the hay usually should be raked within 



