ARTIFICIAL DRYING OF FORAGE CROPS 25 



ranging from $40,000 to $190,000 for each drying drum installed. One- 

 drum unit plants averaged $95,000, while two-drum unit plants aver- 

 aged $150,000. This included the cost of field machines, trucks, 

 trailers, plant equipment, buildings, and installation costs. The plants 

 ranged in age from 1 to 10 years. 



The production of meal per plant averaged 2,470 tons per drying 

 drum during the growing season of the survey. Under normal operat- 

 ing conditions, this will amount to 1 ton of meal per hour for a 

 machine with capacity to evaporate 6,000 pounds of water per hour. 

 The majority of the plants attempt to operate 24 hours per day during 

 the growing season, when forage is available. The average size crew 

 exclusive of office help or manager averaged 7, 11, and 15 men, respec- 

 tively, for 1-, 2-, and 3-drum plants. A typical 7-man crew may 

 consist of 1 plant operator and feeder, 2 sackers and storage operators, 

 1 field operator, 2 haulers, and 1 repairman. 



The cost of operating a drier (power, labor, and fuel) depends upon 

 the thermal efficiency of the drier ; the initial moisture content of the 

 forage : the unit costs of power, labor, and fuel ; the atmospheric con- 

 ditions ; the kind of forage to be dried ; and other variables. The total 

 cost of producing a ton of dehydrated alfalfa in 1949 averaged $37 

 for those plants surveyed. The cost of the various operations and items 

 to produce a ton of dehydrated alfalfa varied considerably from one 

 plant to another. Several of the processing costs averaged as follows : 

 Direct labor for processing, $8.30 ; natural gas, $2.20 ; electricity, $1.60 ; 

 repair parts, $2.60; bags, $4; amount paid to growers, $10. Other 

 items such as blending, pelleting, storage, management, office person- 

 nel, taxes, interest, depreciation of equipment and investment make up 

 the remainder of the expenses. 



FEEDING VALUE OF DEHYDRATED FORAGE 



A considerable tonnage of dehydrated forage, principally dehy- 

 drated leaf meal, is produced in this country each year. The produc- 

 tion of dehydrated leaf meal amounted to 724,300 tons in 1948-49. 



Most of the dehydrated leaf meal is used in poultry feeds, as 3 to 10 

 percent of the mixture, but some of it is also used in calf starters and 

 swine rations. The leaf meal is used in these feeds and rations pri- 

 marily as a source of carotene (provitamin A) and riboflavin (vitamin 

 B2) , but it also contains other properties of known nutritive value and 

 possibly some that are unknown. 



Considerable interest has developed during the last 15 years in the 

 possibility of dehydrating forage to feed milking cows, because of 

 ( 1 ) the possibility of preventing losses of dry matter that occur during 

 field curing, which in the case of alfalfa may amount to 25 percent even 

 under excellent curing conditions; (2) the possibility of producing a 

 feed, by cutting and dehydrating the forage at an early stage of 

 maturity, that can be used in place of all or part of the grain ration ; 

 and (3) the possibility of conserving the original vitamin and mineral 

 content of the forage, which would make it equal to excellent summer 

 pasture. 



Studies by the Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station show the 

 relative losses of dry matter and nutrients from legumes such as alfalfa 



