34 BULLETIlsr 353, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGEICULTUKE. 



March of the following year. Jordan ^ in his work at the Pennsyl- 

 vania State College, 1882, found the loss of weight on hay stored in a 

 bam to average 24 per cent. On this basis he figured that hay sold 

 for SIO per ton when taken from the field should bear a price of 

 nearly $12.50 per ton at the beginning of winter, provided no con- 

 ditions affecting the price had changed other than loss in weight. 

 Calculation indicates the exact price warranted by such a change in 

 weight to be about $13.15 rather than $12.50 per ton. A loss of 8 

 per cent in weight when the price of hay was about $10 per ton at 

 bahng time would require an advance of 85 cents to $1 per ton, in 

 order to insure the owner against loss. 



Table XIV also shows that at Chico, Cal., baled hay following its 

 loss of weight during the dry summer months takes up moisture dur- 

 ing the wet winter months and gains back nearly all the weight lost, 

 so that there is only a shght difference in weight between the time of 

 bahng and the weight at the end of the following February. The 

 difference in this case was only 2.2 per cent, the hay having taken up 

 5.9 per cent of moisture between August 31 and February 25. This 

 gain did not reaUy begin, however, until after the October 16 weighing. 



An almost equivalent gain was found in 1913, where the baled hay 

 showed a gain in weight between September 25 and December 1 

 equal to 1.4 per cent of the original weight of the bale. At Chico, 

 Cal., holding the hay until late winter would, it seems, overcome to 

 a great extent any decrease in weight caused by loss of moisture 

 during the summer months. This gain, however, takes place slowly. 

 It appears from a consideration of the results obtained in both 

 years that baled hay in a humid atmosphere will take up about 1.5 

 per cent of moisture the first month and in four months increase in 

 weight approximately 6 per cent. 



The shrinkage in loose timothy hay and the variation in its weight 

 because of changes in atmospheric humidity are shown in Table XV. 



The hay used in both lots 1 and 2 was practically pure timothy 

 which was cut July 10. The hay in lot 1 was allowed to cure in the 

 field and the 108.5 poim.ds were taken from the windrow July 11, 

 when it appeared to be in about the right condition for placing in 

 the mow. The hay in lot 2 was taken immediately after cutting and 

 weighed, while green, 512 pounds. After weighing, it was spread out 

 on a canvas and allowed to cure imtil the following day, being 

 turned or stirred several times to hasten the drying process. On 

 July 11 it was placed in burlap sacks and removed to a barn, where 

 it was kept under the same conditions as lot 1. The first weighing 

 of lot 2 was made on July 17, and even at this date it was evidently 

 not so dry as lot 1 had been on July 11, although both lots appeared 



I Jordan, W. H. Experiments and investigations conducted at the Pennsylvania State College, 1881-2, 

 p. 7-14. Harrisburg, Pa. 



