MOISTURE CONTENT AND SHRINKAGE OF FORAGE, 23 
Height of 18 inches, 83.3; in bud, 79.1; early bloom, 77.8; half in 
bloom, 74.3; in full bloom, 70.6; bloom fading, 68.3; leaves drying, 
65.1; fully ripe, 55.9. For timothy: Heads not yet visible, 74.4; 
heads just appearing, 72.9; heads fully out, 70.8; beginning to 
bloom, 66.7; in full bloom, 64.3; past bloom, 59.8; seed fully formed, 
54.3; seed becoming hard, 49.2. 
Investigations on this point were made with the following crops: 
At Chico, Cal., alfalfa; at Hays, Kans., and Amarillo, Tex., sorghum; 
and at New London, Ohio, timothy. In the alfalfa several cuttings 
were made at intervals early in the season, so that later all the differ- 
ent stages of maturity could be secured on the same date. The same 
result was accomplished in the annuals by using plats of sorghum 
which were planted at different dates. The intention was to handle 
the timothy in the same way as the alfalfa, but such arrangements 
were found impossible, and the cuttings of timothy were made on 
different dates. Samples of all these crops were secured, representing 
approximately the following stages of development: 
(a) Very young, intermediate between the beginning of growth and 
budding. 
(6) In bud, before bloom began. 
(c) About one-tenth in bloom. 
(d) Full bloom. 
(e) Fully mature, seed hardening. 
EKight-pound samples representing each stage of development were 
taken immediately after cuttmg. Each sample was placed in a sack 
and kept for 20 days or more until it became perfectly air dry. The 
amount of moisture lost in air drying was then determined and the 
sample was sent to Washington, D. C., where it was reduced to a 
water-free basis in the drying oven. The results obtained with the 
different crops are given in Table VI, the averages for each crop 
being also set forth in a separate summary (Table VII). 
TasLE VI.— Moisture in growing forage at different stages of development and in the air- 
dry material. 
SECTION A.—ALFALFA SAMPLES COLLECTED AT CHICO, CAL. 
[Dates of weighing: Original material, July 2; intermediate, Aug. 19; air-dry material, Aug. 24.]} 
Weight. Moisture. 
Sample and jstaze of ay 
growth. et! Air | Oven! Original Air-dry Lost in air 
Green meat dry dry. material. material. drying. 
Rety young; 12inches high: |Ounces.|Ounces.|Ounces.|Ounces.| Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. 
0. 58 : 9 7.95 24 80.5 14.1 = 
OF Sasa seansvosso ee 123.2 | 27.95) 27.95 .0 77 
INDE Siecta- eo Secutee ce 123.2] 29.45) 29.45 26.0} 79.0 11.8 76.1 
NDS S a eco. st 123.2] 31.70) 31.95 77.3 12.3 74.1 
LTR oA a ne ee 123.2} 31.45} 31.45 28.0 | 77.3 11.1 74.5 
i) Teel, OS Se eg Se 123.2 | 27.95) 28.20 24.5} 80.2 13.1 Cig! 
AN ELAY O ores ca csc h eel oasise foc|semeeccd ecwedcs<|eobteceoe 78.9+0.412 | 12.540.314| 75.8+0.395 
ee 
