The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1882-07-05

IL IS SUlll an llSellleU question among
farmers whether it is better to cut grass
before, during, or after blooming; and
some even advocate, in practice, if not
in theory, the ripcning of the grass before
moving. Upon this questionit seems TO
us that some light may be thrown by
comparing the grasses proper with other
closely allied plants.
Take wheat, for instance. We all
agree Chat it attains its full value only
when ripe; but why? because this plant
is so constituted that it eNpends all its
energy in laying up within its seeds a
great quantity of starch, gluten, etc,
which are drawn directly from the stem,
leaves and roots, where they have been
elaborated from juices derived from the
soil, and where they are succeeded by
hard, woody, almost indigestible tissues
We're we to use wheat as a hay-plant-
as is done on the Pacific coast-we GER
tainly would not allow this trausforma-
JtOn to take place, thus causing the sub
stitution of woody fibre for the nouriSh-
ing tissue of the young plant, and in
volying the large loss OF the remaining
nutriment through the shattering of the
| grain; yet such a course would be quite
as rational as that of permitting our
heavily seeded grasses, such as timothy,
to ripeu before cutting; for, although it
/ is true that the seeds OF timothy bear e
much smaller proportion to the weight
| of the whole crop than do those of wheat,
\ and do not abstract the nutrient cOnstit-
I ents so completely from the stem and
/ leaves, yet they do abstract q very con-
/ siderable proportion. and this portion is
even more completely withdrawn from
| the value of the hay than it would be in
TIE case of ripe wheat-hav, as the seeds
| OF timothy are so small and their coats
so hard, that if they are not shattered
from the hay before it reaches the man
| ger, they will escape being crushed by
/ masticatiOn, aud therefore will resist the
action of the digestive fluids,
We suppose that no practical farmer
will deny that the smaller grass-seeds,
when mature, generally resistthe digest
i've processes; but, if there should be
such a doubtar, let him examine with q
microscope the droppngs Of a horse that
has been fed on ripe hay; or let him use
such drOppings as a tOp-dressing on bare
land where it is desired that grass should
grow. We have found this the speediest
way to re-seed sterile places.
A series of experiments quoted by
Prof Jordan, of the PENNSYLVANIA Agri-
cultural College, in an article published
in the AHlerjcal A1ricHHHrj% show that
there is a constant increase in the dry
matter of the hay-crop from the period
of blooming until that of ripening; the
( average weight per acre of eight crops
cut when headed ont being 2,jS6 pounds;
of eleven crops cut i'm bloom, 2,99G
pounds; Of eleven crops cut when CON
siderablv past bloom, 3,132 pounds and
OF five crops cut Whea ripe, j,47S pounds.
In each case a series of plots OF apparent
uniformity was selected, and the cutting
and harvesting done i'm Uniform man
mer. The unavoidable errors connected
with such an experiment. as this ueces-
state q much larger number OF repci-
tiOns before wc can accept the results OBJ
tanned as fully reliable; yet they may be
accepted as showing that there is % con
sllnt increase in the dry matter of the
plant nearly or quite up to the time of
ripening: but it is nevertheless evident
that q large part of this increase is rem
dered unavailable for cattle food, through
the deposition of woody matter in the
stems, through the breaking of of the
leaves i'm handling, and through the
/ losses attendant upon thenpening of the
seeds.
Many of our best farmers advocate the
cutting of grass while in bloom; some
even insist that a still earlier harvest
would give an improved quality of for.
age, reasoning from the fact that ami.
mails never thrive betterthan when feed,
ing on the young grasses of the pasture
but we doubt whether the hay secured
by this extremely early cutting would be
found enough more valuable to cOmpen,
safe the loss in quantity, OF to pay fol-
the additional labor of q second harvest
For ourselves we should prefer cutting
between the fall OF the blossom and IN,
first hardening of the seed; but thi,
period is so short and-so near the wheat
harvest that for a large harvest it is
necessary to begin while the grass is vel
in full bloom. To delay the having
until after wheat harvest is to allow the
grass to become not only ripe, but dead
ripe, and thus to insure the loss of the
greater part of its value; such hay is, Il
ANYTHING inferior in nutrient qualities
to good wheat straw, as any we'll edu
eated COW or horse will affirm - Farm
and FireSids.