VOLUME AND QUALITY OF HAY 



Several Federal, State, and private agencies have worked together for 

 several years to learn what increases in the volume and quality of hay may 

 be expected from (1) timing of harvest; (2) fertilization; (3) use of two-cut 

 harvest system; and (4) changing the composition of the sward. Application 

 of fertilizer was the management practice most thoroughly exanained by 

 these groups and data relative to this practice are both more detailed and 

 more numerous than data for the other three practices. However, significant 

 data have been gathered and analyses published on the other practices. 



Time of Harvest 



The stage of maturity of forage growth at time of harvesting affects the 

 volume and quality of hay produced. If the meadow is cut twice during the 

 season, the time of harvesting affects the crude protein content more than it 

 does the volume of hay. Normally, if hay is to be harvested only once, the 

 greatest volume is obtained when the hay is cut at the latest possible date, 

 consistent with weather risk, or when the major specie (or species) is 

 approaching full bloom., whichever occurs first. 



''in his work at Gunnison, Colo. , in 1951 and 1952, Miller l_l analyzed for 

 crude protein content hays cut from experimental plots at different dates in 

 the same field. His data show that both earlier harvest and fertilizer in- 

 crease the protein content of hay while later harvest increases yields. Both 

 protein content and yields were higher for the fertilized than for the unfer- 

 tilized plots. The data presented in table 1 indicates that with each week's 

 delay in harvest between early June and late August, the percentage of crude 

 protein decreases by approximately 0.38 percent for unfertilized hay, and 

 by 0. 94 percent f6r hay fertilized with 160 pounds of available nitrogen. By 

 late August, the crude protein contents of the fertilized and unfertilized hay 

 are approximately the same. 



In 1950 and 1952, Willhite and others 2/ collected hay samples from 13 

 different ranches. When analyzed for crude protein content, these samples 



1^/ Miller, D. E. Plant Growth of High Altitude Hay Meadows as Affected 

 Stage of Maturity and Fertilization. Unpublished Thesis, Colorado A & M 

 College, tables 1, 2, 7, and 8, pp. 111-112, 117~H8. 1953. 



2/ Willhite, F. M. , Rouse, H.K. , and Miller, D. E. Use of Beef Cattle 

 Feeding Data in Evaluating Mountain Meadow Management Practices. Jour. 

 Anim. Sci. 13(4): 808-816. 1954. . 



