The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1903-05-20

the plants are In full bloom, though the
difference is not great.
"From the considerations set forth
above, i. e., first, in regard to the total
weight of hay second, in regard to the
actual quantity of proteids obtained,
and third, in regard to the digestibilty
of the proteids which we took as stand
ard, the period of full bloom is indi-
Gated as the best time to cut alfalfa for
hay.
II have repeatedly asserted that there
are other qualities contributing to the
general character ard acceptibility of
fodder than those shown by the per-
centages given in the statements of our
analysis. We may yet be able to learn
how to determine much more by means
OF chemical analysis than we are now
able to do, but it is probable that there
will remain many things which will
have to be referred to actual feeding re-
suits for their solution, and even then
we will doubtlesslv have to be satisfied
with aggregate results and forego the
: pleasure of knowing many details.
81 know of but one series of expert
ments made with animals to determine
the to-efficient of digestion of the hav
cut at different periods of the plants
developement, and that was made in
Utah. The result of the feeding of the
first cutting agrees with the statement
made above relative to the artificial d.
gestion, i. e., that 1t is slightly higher
for the hay cut when the plant was in
full bloom. The result in the case of
the second cutting was in favor of the
half bloom as the best time
'The conclusions reached by Mr..
Mills of the Utah Station as the results
of feeding experiments are that the
most rapid gains are made on alfalfa
cut just before the blossoms appeared,
and the least gain on such as is cut a
week after full bloom. The hay cut at
the Intern, date period OF full bloom is
better than the latter, but quite nferi-
or to the former. Mr.. Mills represents
the gains as 100 for hay cut before
bloom, II for hay cut at full bloom and
60 for hay cut one week later. The two
earlier cuttings were eaten more readily
than the latest cutting. Mr.. Mills sur-
ther states that, pound for pound, the
values of the cuttings stand as follows
before bloom, 100; full bloom, rs; and
one week after bloom, 81.
"There is question of what Mr..
Mills termed full bloom, but he gives
the reader who is acquainted with Utah
conditions the fairest possible means of
judging, i. e., one week after the bios
SONS begin to appear, and for his third
cutting the plants were one week older.
His trst and last cuttings were II DAYS
apart.
"Mr. Sanborn of Utah, Bulletin 81,
gives the results of feeding experiments
as follows: Amount OF early, medium
and late cut alfalfa hay eaten by steers
is essentially the same. being 1916 A.
33 and 10 ~ pounds per day-the gain
is OTIS, 0.234 and 0.32S pound per day
for the first cutting the daily consump-
ton of hay per steer is 1858, 1902 and
IA AZ pounds; the daily gain is O.743,
0.75l and 0.169 pound for the second
cutting.
This is the fullest data in our pos
session bearing upon the question
Some of it might be fuller and Utah
conditions are not our conditions, but
| take them as more similar than those
of almost any other state. In consider
ing feeding experiments the age of the
animals fed has much to do with the
amount eaten and the gain per pound
l suppose, knowing nothing to the con-
trary, that the animals were mature.
"The feeding experiment are de-
cidedly in favor of the early cutting, CAL
culating the value on pound for pound
of hay produced. But if we calculate its
value on terms of beef produced per
acre, we come to the same conclusion
at which we arrived from the consider
alton of its chemical composition and
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS