The moisure content of forage at different times in the day
1931
Willard, C.J.
Studies of the percentage of dry matter in forage at different times of the day have been made on alfalfa, soybeans, red clover, sweet clover, and alsike clover over a series of years and for continuous periods in the development of the forages, involving several hundred observations. After the dew is off, the range in the percentage of dry matter in the green forage was almost never greater than 3%, and the average range for periods of a week or more was always less than 2%. Since in curing hay it requires but a comparatively short time to evaporate 1 to 3% of moisture, it seems clear that there is not sufficient change in the moisture content of forage after the dew is off to be a practical factor in hay-making. The amount of dew on the forage at 7 a.m. ranged up to 1/5 or even 1/4 of the green weight of the forage in some especially heavy dews. The data showed a gradual and fairly uniform increase in the percentage of dry matter in the green forage as the forages became more mature. This was not so noticeable in soybeans as in red clover and alfalfa.
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