RS ee ae ee OR ey I) CN ee ae poe eas 
ECON Ss Fe eR ee eee 
PaO et ee a aii ae a lene Oa ot as hy cad Ea Gt: a ae 
2 3 Fae MS 5 a Pony 
; the hay so brittle that it will break or shatter easily when being 
EPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Rh a 
If the hay is to be baled in the field, from the windrow One: ia ro | 
stack. The curing should be carried as far as possible without making 
baled. The loss of water by shrinkage will be considerably less in 
hay properly field-cured for baling than in hay properly field-cured — 
to be put in barn or stack. © 
First-cutting hay, etc.—The terms ‘‘first-cutting hay,’ ‘‘second-— 
cutting hay,” etc., are used to distinguish different crops of hay, such 
as alfalfa and clover that are cut more than once a year. It has 
become necessary to use these terms in the market, especially for 
alfalfa, because a consumer may, for various reasons which are not — 
always very clear or well-based, prefer a certain cutting for feeding a 
certain class of stock. 
SUMMARY. 
_ (1) The question of shrinkage is one that has always been of inter- 
est to those engaged in the production and utilization of hay. The 
producer wants to know how much hay shrinks because be believes 
that it results in a direct money loss when he grows hay for the market. 
The shipper and dealer want to know how much hay shrinks, so that 
they can make allowance for this factor and thereby avoid disputes 
and losses. 
(2) The percentage of shrinkage in hay is influenced by the follow- 
ing factors: (1) water content when cut, (2) maximum water content 
when stored, (3) normal water content when cured, (4) minimum 
water content, (5) atmospheric humidity, and (6) effect of time. | 
(3) Many experiments have been conducted, during the last 30 
years, to determine the rate of shrinkage in hay in the barn and - 
stack. The loss in weight was found to range from 0.29 per cent to _ 
42.2 per cent and the gain in weight ranged from 0.4 per cent to 
10.7 per cent, making a total variation of about 53 per cent. | 
(4) All efforts by investigators to determine the average rate 0 
shrinkage, in order to formulate a definite rule to be used at harvest 
time to calculate the percentage of ‘‘dry”’ or marketable hay, have 
failed. The reason an unvarying shrinkage rule can never be used 
for a large producing territory is because of the effect of such factors 
as variation in the time of cutting, methods of curing, and the weather, 
which will always cause a wide difference in the percentage of shrink- | 
age in hay on individual farms within a given territory. 
(5) The experiments show that there is no correlation between the 
lapse of time and the percentage of loss by shrinkage. Im other 
words, the amount of loss that may occur durmg 3 months has no 
mathematical relation to the amount occuring durimg 6 months, 9 — 
months, or other period. 7 
(6) The widespread publication of experimental data showing 
comparatively large losses by shrinkage, during several months, has 
been misleading, especially to producers, because the investigators — 
failed to point out that the greater part of the loss occurs before the 
hay is in proper condition to be baled or marketed and that the loss, 
which is practically of water only, is simply a part of the natural 
curing process, and, therefore, should have no commercial value. 
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