MOISTURE CONTENT AND SHRINKAGE OF FORAGE. 37 
(4) Timothy at New London, Ohio: Very young (10 to 12 inches high), 77.5 per 
cent; just heading, 76.6 per cent; early bloom, 71.4 per cent; full bloom, 67.2 per 
cent; leaves drying, 58.6 per cent; seed mature, 51.2 per cent. 
(5) The excessive percentage of moisture in young sorghum explains the very 
chaffy character of sorghum hay when the crop is cut too soon, and the 90 per cent 
loss in weight is an additional reason why sorghum should be fairly mature before it 
is harvested. 
(6) The moisture content of any crop at a given stage of maturity is not constant, 
but may vary with the conditions under which the crop is grown. 
A study of the rate of loss of moisture in forage during the early 
stages of curing shows the following results: 
(1) The approximate losses in the different crops were— 
Moisture loss. 
Crop and location. 
Zhour. | 1Lhour. | 2hours. | 3 hours. | 4 hours. 
Per cent. | Per cent. | Per cent. | Per cent. | Per cent. 
69 
BAN a Hata ts © HICO mem rraenciarer a nina eee ere nie oenie me eicen aA cameeeee 17 SOS eee eee 
AlfalfarateAnlinetonsbanm sca. ens occas eis Seice ccs 6 14 23 28 32 
Tall oat-grass and orchard grass at Arlington Farm .. 5 12 24 30 34 
mimothyat, Now, London oe. 22. bocce seincinss 6 10 18 25 30 
Ore Ruma GHA Sa so eole sa as oe alo ea ae ee et io ae ae 2 5 9 12 13 
(2) The rate of loss of moisture after cutting differs in different varieties of the 
same crop, as well as in different crops. 
(3) Although the Arabian alfalfa loses moisture faster than the Peruvian or ordinary 
alfalfa in the first one or two hours after cutting, still the total percentage of moisture 
is about the same for the three varieties. 
(4) A high percentage of leaf surface in alfalfa varieties is correlated with a rapid 
loss of moisture immediately after cutting, but it does not indicate a high moisture 
content. 
Studies of the variation in the moisture content of growing alfalfa 
during a single day at Chico, Cal., show an average of 1 per cent more 
moisture in the alfalfa at 8 o’clock a. m. than at 3 o’clock p. m. 
Studies of the shrinkage in hay after storing and variation in 
moisture content due to changes in atmospheric humidity made with 
baled oat hay at Chico, Cal., and loose timothy hay at New London, 
Ohio, indicate results as follows:. 
(1) At Chico, Cal., where the atmospheric humidity changes radically irom the 
dry summers to the wet winters, baled oat hay showed a shrinkage in 1914 of 8.1 per 
cent between June 1 and August 31, and a gain in weight from August 31, 1914, to 
February 25, 1915, of 5.9 per cent oi the original weight. 
(2) The results at Chico, Cal., indicate that even baled hay responds noticeably to 
changes in atmospheric humidity, and that hay dealers are justified in taking into 
account the shrinkage of their hay when fixing prices. 
(3) The results secured at New London, Ohio, with loose timothy indicate a 
shrinkage of 8.6 per cent in one lot and 15.6 per cent in another lot when the hay was 
stored in a barn for about three months. The effect of a week of rainy weather was 
indicated by an increase of weight in the loose hay. 
