MOISTUEE CONTENT AND SHRINKAGE OF FORAGE. 



33 



Table XIV. — Shrinkage of oat hay after baling and variation in weight, due to changes 

 in atmospheric humidity, at Chico, Cal., in 1913 and 1914-15. 





Weight. 



Bale. 



"When 

 baled, 

 June 1. 



July 



7. 



Aug. 



Sept. 

 25. 



Nov. 

 4. 



Dee. 

 1. 



LosSji June 1 to— 



Gain,i 

 Sept. 





Sept. 25. 



Dec. 1. 



25 to 

 Dec. 1. 



Tests in 1913: 



No. 1 



Pounds. 

 225.0 

 240.0 

 245.0 

 265.0 



Pounds. 

 221.0 

 231.5 

 237.0 

 256.0 



Pounds. 

 217.5 

 230.0 

 234.0 



254.5 



Pounds. 

 213.0 

 227.0 

 230.5 

 252.0 



Pounds. 

 215.0 

 230.0 

 233.0 

 253.0 



Pounds. 

 216.5 

 231.0 

 235.0 

 254.0 



Per cent. 

 5.3 

 5.4 

 5.9 

 4.9 



Per cent 

 3.8 

 3.8 

 4.1 

 4.2 



Per cent. 

 1.5 



No. 2 



1.6 



No. 3 



1.8 



No. 4 



.7 







Average 



243.8 



236.4 



234.0 



230.6 



232.8 



234.1 



5.4 



4.0 



1.4 





When 

 baled, 

 June 1. 



July 



Aug. 

 31. 



Oct. 

 16. 



Dee. 

 17. 



Feb. 2, 

 1915. 



Loss,i June 1 to — 



Galn.i 

 Aug. 31 

 to Feb. 



25. 





Aug. 

 31. 



Feb. 25, 

 1915. 



Tests in 1914-15: 

 No. 566 



Pounds. 

 160 

 190 

 165 

 200 

 175 



Pounds. 

 150. 25 

 176. 50 

 154.00 

 189.00 

 163. 00 



Pounds. 

 147.75 

 172. 50 

 151.75 

 184.50 

 161.00 



Pounds. 

 147.75 

 172. 50 

 152. 25 

 184. 50 

 161. 50 



Pounds. 

 152.00 

 175. 25 

 155. 50 

 187.75 

 164. 25 



Pounds. 

 158.5 

 182.5 

 162.0 

 194.0 

 172.5 



Per cent. 



7.7 

 9.2 

 8.0 

 7.8 

 8.0 



Percent. 

 0.9 

 3.9 

 1.8 

 3.0 

 1.4 



Per cent. 

 6.8 



No. 567 



5.3 



No. 568 



6.2 



No. 569 



4.8 



No.570 



6.6 



Average 



178 



166.55 



163.60 



163.70 



166.95 



173.9 



8.1 



2.2 



6.9 



1 In figuring all the percentages, the original weight of the bale was taken as the base. 



It is unfortunate that no determination of the moisture percentage 

 was made for the hay used in 1913 and also that the weights were not 

 continued through the winter, so that the gain due to increase of 

 atmospheric humidity could have been more fuUy recorded. A com- 

 parison of the results in 1913 with those in 1914 indicates that the 

 hay used in 1913 was somewhat drier than that used in 1914, since 

 the total shrinkage was less ; however, this may have been due, to some 

 extent at least, to the character of the season. July and August in 

 1914 were unusually dry, while the months of December, January, 

 and February, following, were extremely wet. The month of No- 

 vember, 1913, was also quite wet, having a precipitation of 8.5 inches 

 and 21 cloudy or partly cloudy days. Under the extreme conditions 

 in 1914, the variation in moisture content of the oat hay was quite 

 large. The shrinkage in weight from the time of bahng, June 1, to 

 August 31, when the weight was least, amounted to 8.1 per cent of the 

 original weight. Such a loss in weight would require the producer to 

 advance the price of his hay considerably after holding it in storage 

 several months, in order to protect himself against loss. The Ohio 

 Agricultural Experiment Station ^ found a shrinkage of 5.7 per cent 

 in baled oat straw when stored on a bam floor from September until 



1 Hickman, J. F. Experiments with oats. Ohio Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 57, p. Ill, 9 tab., 1894. 



