230 



VETERINAEY HYGIENE 



from 25 per cent, to 40 per cent, of its dry substance is 

 soluble in water : as a crop it takes longer to dry than hay, 

 and is therefore more exposed to damage from the weather. 



Even with everything in its favour, hay made from the 

 Leguminosse has a deal of its nutritive matter lost by the 

 physical changes occurring to it as the result of drying. 

 It becomes brittle, the leaves break off and much loss in 

 consequence occurs, as the leaves contain twice the nourish- 

 ment found in the stalks. 



To make good hay the leguminous crops must be cut 

 early, otherwise the stem becomes woody, there is a loss of 

 nourishment, and a considerable reduction in digestibility. 



It is an important point in stable economy to bear in 

 mind the brittle nature of leguminous hay, and to avoid 

 the loss of the nutritive leaves through want of care in 

 handling it when being issued for feeding purposes. This 

 loss does not occur to anything like the same extent when 

 it is cut into chaff. 



The following analyses by Wolff, of some of the artificial 

 grasses in a green state, give an idea of their composition : 



It has been remarked earlier (p. 205) the care which should 

 be taken in feeding on leguminous plants in a green state, 

 and their liability, especially with animals brought on to 

 them for the first time, to give rise to tympanites, or 

 more serious trouble. In every case to begin with they 

 must be mixed with ordinary hay, and even when the 



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