Show OR LUCERN i I 1 the cattes time and its feering value I 1 press aref bulletin utah experiment station the past five years tho ho ut laih ih experiment station hafi but boon earry inar on investigation to dt d t mine at a just what time in its growth alfalfa should bo be cut tor for boit result resul tit compos annual yield nield per aero acre and feeding I 1 of ae all being taken into re nc count in connection with chiti wok the feeding value of such well known roughage crops us timothy molliy ti bay corn fodder find and rod red clovra has boon ct ci m paled with that of aifala for this experiment a field of alt alfa was divided info no three equal I 1 pic icen eft ono one being cut 4 ben tile the cirit blooms bloom app appeared earod tho the second when in n full bloom and tile tho third when halt the me blossoms blob had fallen chesi being denominated otilly vac mc daum a and into cuttings cutting incidentally there was made a 11 tona tom carlson of tho filst fiks second and third caloph tho the details of tins MIN investigation tile me reported in in bulletin no 61 of the he utah station tt copy of which may be obtained by addressing tho the director Dirc tor nt at logon logan below are given the lt I 1 moro more important facts togo lher etith A ith the cone conclusions unions that may bo be legitimately drawn from the rebul rp hults ts 1 1 he bo lai gest annual beld if id 0 f hay per acre is obtained by the method ot of early cutting and the lonest by the into the asiago result standing anding Bt ui follows early cutting medium 02 and lato late 80 3 2 the early cut alfalfa contains i tile the tugboat highest per cent of protein and tat fat the hobt valuable alu able food cons conN titu cuts ants and tho lowest per cent of crude fiber the most indigestible coition the th former decrease m c instantly x N hile bile the latter rapidly flom early bloom to the full fall m ot of the plant 3 tho the proportionate amount of leavea to sten betenia s vi is greater at early bloom than at al noy any subsequent time and both leaves and sterna stems contain it a greater per cent of protein and a loss less fiber at this time thin than nt at tiny any later period in the growth of tle plant I 1 iho tie relative proportion of leaves to stems in I 1 the lie different diff erent cuttings is 13 as aa follows earli earl 12 42 to 68 in odium medium 10 40 to CO 60 late 33 to 67 G 4 alfalfa leaves as compared with beins tiro are very touch much richer in pro tein fat and nit bit ogen arto extract and tbt the contain a much sin smaller aller proportion of crude fiber I 1 he por per cent of the protein and fat grows constant constantly 13 leba ess and that of tho the crude liber fiber cicat or from the tune time of parly early bloom to maturity the composition of all cutti cuttings nud and crops shows tho the leases to centhia per cent mr ro protein than the sterns ajo per cent moro more tat 83 35 per cent more nitrogen free extract ond anil por per caal lis les li s crude fiber 5 the more protein and fat havo bavo the per cent of digI clity in the caily cuttings and it grows less and les leas with the age of tho the plant 0 6 antho in the feeding robts alio high oat est gains were mado from thu tho early cuttings and tile the lowe lowest A from the late the proportionately as follows fol lowa early cuttings cut tinga medium 65 85 aud and late 7 75 7 the variation in the aino amount lint of the different cuttings cut tinga per day was very slight bein being hah ghost helt fol foi the e irly cuttings butting and the lowest for or the into but the quantity rif of dry matter and also the dige digestibly digoski lilo matter to 10 quiren for a pound of gain was wai decidedly lowest tor for the early cuttings and for the late the relative amounts of dry matter standing ns an follows follow si early cuttings 1001 medium sand and late 8 the annual boef product per acre hiis largest from tho the early cuttings cutting not only in the general average but in each separate seasons test und and that from the late cuttings v as smallest tho the proportional products standing as aa follows early cuttings cutting g wedi tim 78 and late ol 01 CO 9 taking all point of comparison so a into cou consideration both separate ly and collectively including everything that pertains to the largen biell and highest feeding villu value tile the teats ests favor cutting alfalfa for cattle feeding when the first blooms appear CROP comparison 10 the first crop gave tho ilia largest yield in each of the uvo live tests and in fourt fourteen Pen out of fifteen cuttings while the third bird crop gave the ha lowest lovre il fur for every test and in every but on tile the average acre lirida for the uvo jive years yeara including till all cuttings baand bt and in tho the fullow following tug relation vast ruel crop second 78 and third CO W 11 11 la in the average compos tion of all cuttings for three lcara the I 1 v w W va ants of th three y 71 but lit tl tie eTho rho aps tad has slightly I 1 abt IV t I 1 t I 1 ai est por poran wal t 4 protein al ran and d fib or ai 1 d the third the mot tat fat aart nitrogen tree free extract f I 1 44 v V 12 tue the thord cop c op has tb thit largest proportion of loaves leaves tu to stems i luethe but the per cent of protein in trio the ae lives is is highest iu in the second crop and next highest in th the first tho the leakos of the haibt h I 1 ht crap cont con titi tiia a alio t he most tat fat bud a d of tile tile tho least 13 thu the third erp arc p produced irod a high hibb or ev tati of gain iu in tho the feeding fe eilio tests testa than the first or second and also alo high or er than any of the lop op prato cuttings c U tt 0 ga tho the amount oaten daily waa also highest of all tut but tho the dry inetter in otter and diffee tible matter tit for a pound of gaiek ime the ho loleat kowt JQ in a pound per pound mind em parison the gains aland al and as am follows follow cirit crop second 81 third crop 1261 daiy adly matter for a pound of pain gain crop 0 P second and third G 11 14 tho the beof beef product per acre tall talc ing the average result of till all cuttings tor for the flie fie years iva ans very much the highest lor for tle the first crop and decidedly y the lowest for tho the third titan standing ding all aa follows first arop IOU second 61 I 1 imd find third 45 but taking the caily cuttings cut tinga alono they stand firby crop second and third CA 16 15 pound per pound taken na as a whole the results show the highest feeding i alue for the tha third crop and the tha lowert loebe for the isec tind 10 16 the average annual leef po duct hom early ent cut alfalfa was 01 61 pounds per acre it roqui required pounds of timothy to produce an oqual weights pounds ot of red CIO closer ot nud alla bonada of shredded corn fodder |