MOISTURE CONTENT AND SHRINKAGE OF FORAGE. 85 
dry enough on that date to place in a mow. The weight of the hay 
at this stage, when it was supposedly ready to be placed in a barn, 
is used as the base for figuring all percentages. 
TaBLE XV.—Shrinkage of timothy hay after storing and variation in weight due to changes 
in atmospheric humidity, New London, Ohio, 1914. 
Lot 1. Lot 2. 
Date of Percent Percent Weather conditi 
weighing. ercent- ; ercent- j eather conditions. 
Weight age of Loss in Weight age of Loss in 
* | original | weight. * | original | weight. 
weight. weight. 
4 
Pounds Per cent.| Pounds. Per cent 
YORK WO asa le eae aed ees sense Bemeame rm OSE UE SEO ene ose | ae ee a, lear. 
fulysie a 108. 5 100. 0 (1) saa] aspera tay a wake el ea ae Do. 
Salva 103.5 95.4 4.6 295. 25 100. 0 0 Do. 
INES PW 5 S502 97.5 89.9 10.1 246. 00 83. 4 16.6 | Rain, Aug. 6. 
Shyer ns 101.0 93.1 6.9 250. 00 84.7 15.3 | Rain. 
Sept. 11... 99.5 91.7 8.3 250. 75 85. 0 15.0 
Sept. 21... .. 97.5 89.9 10.1 242. 25 82.1 17.9 | Very dry. 
Sept. 28:.... 97.5 89.9 10.1 244.75 83.0 17.0 | Clear. 
Octzo eee 96.5 88.9 ible al 243. 75 82.6 17.4 | Cloudy. 
Octoisen-e- 99.0 91.2 8.8 251. 75 85.3 14.7 | Rain on several preceding 
ays. 
Oct: 198s. 21 100. 5 92.6 7.4 255. 50 86.6 13.4 | Cloudy and some rain on 
every day since Oct. 13. 
Octs26302) |S Se SES earns | Eee ereene 253. 00 85.8 14,2 | Clear from Oct. 20 to 23; Oct. 
24, rain; Oct. 25, clear; 
Oct. 26, rain. 
INCOM Aree eens cee fee [ea eye Tee 250. 75 85.0 15.0 | Weather clear nearly all the 
time since Oct. 26. 
WIGS Lobes ESS ae Bose BOSE Sea oe e Seceaeeee 247. 75 84.0 16.0 | Weather clear since Nov. 2. 
TD EOS PAS Steel [era bee Min Se ese begun 252. 00 85. 4 14.6 | Cloudy for four or five days 
preceding Dec. 2. Rain on 
two days. 
The seasonal effect is not so marked in this instance as it was in 
the alfalfa at Chico, Cal., but the more frequent weighings provide 
an opportunity to observe the almost immediate response of loose 
hay to changes in atmospheric humidity. This point is illustrated 
best by the increase in weight during the period from October 13 to 
October 26, a maximum increase of 4 per cent over the weight reg- 
istered on October 5 being noted on October 19. This decided 
increase in weight is accounted for by a period of almost continuous 
rain between these dates. Clear, sunny weather after October 26 
caused sufficient loss of moisture to reduce the weight 2.6 per cent 
by November 11, showing that even as late as this in the season dry, 
sunny weather would affect the moisture content noticeably. 
The average amount of shrinkage from a field-cured condition in 
lot 1 was 8.6 per cent, while in lot 2 the shrinkage was 15.6 per cent. 
A compilation ! of the results obtained at several experiment stations 
showed an average shrinkage of 17.9 per cent in timothy when it was 
stored in a barn from 5 to 10 months. These figures represent 
fairly well the shrinkage that is to be expected in timothy hay 
which has been stored in a haymow, but more data on this point are 
needed. 
1Vinall, H.N.,and McKee, Roland. A digest ofliterature relating to the moisture content and shrink- 
age of forage. In Jour. Amer. Soc. Agron., v. 8, no. 2, 1916. 
