222 THE FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



thick that rapid curing in the field is never possible, and 

 fermentative changes are unavoidable. It is probable 

 that maize fodder and stover are never field-dried with- 

 out a material loss in food value, for it is foimd that even 

 when the stalks are finely chopped, drying by artificial 

 heat is necessary to a complete retention of the dry mat- 

 ter. The extent of the loss from cviring fodders must be 

 very variable. So far as we know, grass, which in "good 

 haying weather" is well stirred during the day and packed 

 into cocks over night so as to avoid the action of heavy 

 dew, suffers practically no deterioration, while dull 

 Weather or rain may cause a serious loss. It is doubtful, 

 however, whether night exposm-e during good weather is 

 sufficiently injurious to justify the expense of cocking 

 partially cured hay. On the other hand, the economy of 

 using hay caps during unfavorable weather is without 

 question. The over-drying of hay before raking into 

 winrows and "bimching" so as to cause a loss of the leaves 

 and the finer parts through brittleness may be as wasteful 

 as under-drying and the consequent fermentation. Over- 

 dried hay does not .pack well in the mow and is less pala- 

 table. The leguminous hays, such as clover and alfalfa, 

 are expecially subject to loss from over-drying before 

 handling. Fodder crops, if dried at all, should be dried 

 to such a percentage of moistm-e that they will not "heat" 

 to discoloration after being packed in large masses and 

 lose value from the same general causes that operate in 

 field-curing under bad conditions. (See Par. 45.) 



307. The harvesting of forage crops. — ^The result to be 

 achieved in the growing of forage crops is the produc- 

 tion on a given area of the maximum quantity of digesti- 

 ble food materials in a palatable form. The age or period 

 of growth at which a forage crop is harvested is an impor- 



