Feeding Dairy Cattle 



cannot cure hay without some exposure and loss, therefore 

 the cured hay never has quite the same feeding value as the 

 fresh material. The loss from the sun is comparatively 

 small. The greatest loss always occurs when bleaching 

 takes place from rain. In one experiment hay exposed to 

 three rains lost 60 per cent, of the crude protein, 41 per cent. 

 of the carbohyrates other than fiber, and 33 per cent, of the 

 fat. In this case 31.7 per cent, of the total dry matter was 

 lost. 



It is difficult to write any method of curing. Probably 

 the ideal way to cure hay, particularly clover and alfalfa, is 

 to mow after the dew is off, then rake and cock the hay when 

 well wilted and while hot. Cock into small cocks. Then 

 open out the next day or the second day in large flakes, shak- 

 ing the hay as little as possible to prevent loss of leaves. 

 The main reason back of this process is that the leaves and 

 stems are still alive until nearly dry. The life processes still 

 go on and the one that helps in the curing is that the water 

 continues to move from the stems to the leaves. If the hay 

 is allowed to wilt too much the leaves will become com- 

 pletely dry before the stems have dried out sufficiently. 

 When well cocked this movement of water will continue and 

 leaves and stems all drop out together. In the cock, too, 

 about the right amount of fermentation will develop to give 

 the hay its best color and aroma. Of course b}^ this method 

 bleaching is reduced to a minimum. If hav caps are used 

 perhaps it is best if the cocks are not disturbed at all the dav 

 after the hay is cut. Many times the cocks mav be opened 

 after the dew is off the next morning and the hav sufficiently 

 cured to be stored the day after it is cut. A modification of 

 this method is to cut the hay in the late afternoon, cock up 

 the next day and house it the next. In good weather these 

 methods work out very well. 



Any modification in the interest of speed and economv 

 almost always means curing in the windrow without cock- 

 ing. This is all right for mixed grasses, timothv and all hay 

 with a minimum of legumes in it. But methods invdlving 

 frequent tedding and much exposure to the sun, cause bleach- 

 ing and then in case of rain the very greatest loss 1)ecause 

 of the maximum surface ex])osed. Exposure to dew is al- 

 ways bad except when freshly cut. When cut in the late 

 afternoon the first night's exposure to dew does little harm 

 A more extensive use of hay caps in the curino- of leo-umes 

 will improve the quality of our legume hay very much" HH^■ 

 should be put into the barn as dry as possible but at the same 



Page Thirty-two- 



