26 



BULLETIN 353, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGBICULTUEE. 



These results, which agree fairly well with the averages for timothy 

 and aKalf a cited on page 23, show a decided decrease in moisture per- 

 centage as the crop approaches maturity. This difference is least in 

 alfalfa and greatest in timothy, although in sorghum it was also con- 

 siderable. The exact relation of the three crops as regards the 

 moisture content at different periods of their growth is not apparent, 

 because the stage of maturity when samples were taken was not 

 identical in the three crops. It is quite probable that the mature seed 

 stage of timothy, when the moisture content reached the very lowest 

 figure, 51.2 per cent, was relatively later in the life period of the crop 

 than was the ripe stage in the sorghums. This may account partly 

 for the rather decided difference in the amount of moisture contained 

 by the two crops at this stage. It appears, however, that sorghum 

 has an unusually high moisture content throughout its entire life 

 period. The fact that the very young sorghum plant is approxi- 

 mately 90 per cent water, while the young timothy is only 77 per 

 cent and the young alfalfa 79 per cent water, suggests one reason why 

 cutting sorghum when it is very immature affects the feeding value of 

 the resulting hay so much more seriously than a like treatment does 

 timothy or alfalfa. 



These results are more apparent in the summary (Table VII), 

 where the averages are brought together so as to make comparisons 

 easier. 



Table VII. — Summary of average percentages of moisture in sorghum, timothy, and 

 alfalfa at different stages of growth. 



Place, crop, and stage of growth. 



Moisture. 



Original 

 material. 



Air-dry 

 material. 



Lost in air 

 drying. 



Amarillo, Tex., Red Amber sorghum: 



Very young 



Shooting for heads 



Beginning to head 



Full bloom 



Ripe 



Hays, Kans., Red Amber sorghum: 



Very young 



Bloom 



Soft dough 



Hard dough 



Ripe 



New London, Ohio, timothy: i 



May 20 



Very young, 12 inches high, June 8 



Early bloom, June 20 



Full bloom, June 26 



Leaves drying, July 7 



Seed mature, July 20 



Chi CO, Cal., alfalfa: 



Plants 12 inches high 



First bloom to one-tenth in bloom . 



Full bloom 



Past full bloom 



Per cent 

 90. 6± 0.134 

 87. 1± .U6 

 84. 8± 

 80. 4± 

 75. 3 ± 



.124 

 .204 

 .157 



89. 2± .344 



84. 5± .185 



81. 1± .434 



77. 3± .746 



73. 2± .795 



77.5 



76. 6± .034 



71. 4± .095 



67. 2± .406 



58. 6± .334 



61. 2± .000 



78. 9± .412 



77. 1± .393 



74. 6 ± .060 



73. 4± .188 



Per cent. 

 15. 9± 1.169 



26. 5± .725 



25. 9± .670 



22. 6± .652 



24. 1± .612 



15. 4± .349 



15. 3 ± .572 



15. 5± .302 



16. 1± .326 



16. 1± .549 



9.6 



8.4± .620 



8.2± .525 



8.9± 

 10. 5 ± 

 9.2± 



095 

 ,165 

 ,311 



12. 5± .314 

 11. 7± .689 

 11. 2± .124 

 11. 4± .131 



Per cent. 

 88.9i0.063 

 82. 5 ± .347 

 79. 5± .232 

 74. 7± .111 

 67. 4± 



.199 



87. 0± 

 81. 6± 

 77. 6± 

 72. 6± .823 

 68. Oil. 033 



270 

 192 

 593 



75.0 



74. 3± .143 



68. 8± .076 



63. 9± .337 



53.7± .406 



46. 2± .191 



75. 8± .395 



74. 1± .289 



71. 5± .045 



70. 0± .188 



I Only 1 sample taken on May 20; on other dates 2 samples were taken. 



