The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-07-29
When to Cut Timothy.

When to Cut Timothy.
1t is still an unsettled 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 ripening of the grass before
moving. Upon this questionit seems to
us that some light may be thrown by
comparing thegrasses proper with other
closely allied plants.
Take wheat, for instance. We all
agree that it attains its full value only
when ripe; but why? because this plant
is so constituted that it expends all its
energy in laying up within its seeds
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 transforma-
ton to take place, thus causing the SUBJ
stitution of woody fibre for the nourish-
ing tissue of the young plant, and in
volving the large loss of the remaining
nutriment through the SCATTERING of the
grain; yet such . course would be quite
as rational as that of permitting our
heavily seeded grasses, such as timothy,
to ripen before cutting; for, although it
is true that the seeds Of timothy bear a
much smaller proportion to the weight
of the whole crop than do those of wheat,
and do not abstract the nutrient constit-
ents so completely from the stem and
leaves, yet they do abstract very con-
siderable proportion, end this portion is
even more completely withdrawn from
the value of the hay than it would be in
the case Of ripe wheat-hay, 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, and 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 resist the digest
i've processes; but, if there should be
such doubter, let him examine with a
microscope the droppings of horse that
has been fed on ripe hay; or let him use
such droppings as 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 american Ag,icuiturist. show that
there is q 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 out being 1856 pounds;
of eleven crops cut in bloom, 1896
pounds; of eleven crops cut when con-
siderably past bloom. 8, 1872 pounds; and
of five crops cut when ripe, 3,478 pounds.
Ineach case series of plots of apparent
uniformity was selected, and the cutting
and harvesting done in uniform man.
mer. The unavoidable errors connected
with such an experiment as this neces-
state much larger number of repeti-
tons before we can accept the results OBJ
tanned as fully reliable; yet they may be
accepted as showing that there is a con-
slant increase in the dry matter of the
plant nearly or quite up to the time of
ripening; but it is nevertheless evident
that large part of this increase is rem
dered unavailable for cattle food, through
the deposition of woody matter in the
stems, through the breaking off of the
leaves in handling, and through the
losses attendant upon the ripening of the
seeds.
Many of our best farmers advocate the
cutting Of grass while in bloom; some
even insist that still earlier harvest
would give an improved quality of for
age, reasoning from the fact that ami
mails never thrive better than 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 moro valuable to compen-
safe the loss in quantity. or to pay for
the additional labor of q second harvest.
For ourselves we should prefer cutting
between the fall of the blossom and the
first hardening of the seed; but this
period is SO short and SO near the wheat
harvest. that for large harvest it Is
necessary to begin while the grass i vet
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 well edu-
Gated cow or horse win affirm.-Fdrn
and Firesids-