The composition and digestibility of Northern Irish hays: I. Unthreshed and threshed ryegrass and crested dogstail hays as saved for seed.

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SUMMARY1. The compositions and digestibilities of ten selected typical Northern Irish meadow hays have been ascertained and compared with similar data published by other workers for meadow hays produced in the British Isles.2. It is suggested that average Northern Irish meadow hay of reasonably good quality has a starch equivalent value in the region of 35 on a drymatter basis. Poor samples will have a value in the region of 25.

The composition and digestibility of Northern Irish hays: II. Meadow hays

Rutledge¹,

Common²

1948

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The composition and nutritive value of hay grown in the east of Scotland and the influence of late applications of nitrogenous fertilizers

Moon¹

1954

In a previous communication from this department (Smith & Comrie, 1948) analyses of Lothians' seedshay for the years 1945-7 were reported. The results indicated an average protein content much lower than the figures commonly quoted for seeds-hay and gave cause for concern over the tendency to overestimate its food value. During the years 1948-51 further information was obtained for both seeds-hay and meadow hay grown in the east of Scotland and the effects of late top-dressings of nitrogenous fertilizers were also examined. Lewis (1939Lewis ( , 1941 had shown that applications of ammonium sulphate, sodium nitrate or 'Nitrochalk', applied even as late as 7 days before mowing, could produce significant increases in the protein content of hay, and it seemed likely that with hay of so low a protein content as that usually found in the Lothians, the response to late treatment with nitrogenous fertilizers would be most marked. No information was then available concerning the influence of such fertilizer treatment on the digestibility of hay, so adequate samples of both treated and untreated hays were collected for feeding tests with sheep. Shortly after the commencement of these experiments Ferguson (1948) reported the results of digestibility trials carried out in 1945 and 1946 with hays untreated and treated with late applications of ammonium sulphate or 'Nitrochalk'; the protein in the treated hays was found to be more digestible than that in the control hays, but the digestibilities of the other nutrient fractions did not appear to be affected by the treatments. The two untreated hays examined by Ferguson contained 9-67 and 10-36% protein in the dry matter and so were quite unlike the Lothians' seeds-hays, most of which Smith & Comrie (1948) found to contain less than 7% protein. Further work with low protein hays typical of those found in the Lothians was therefore clearly necessary. EXPERIMENTALIn 1948 experiments were carried out at six different centres, field strips being treated and replicate samples of treated hay and of adjacent untreated hay being taken for analysis. The fertilizers were broadcast at times varying from 9 to 24 days before • Present address: The University, Glasgow, W. 2.mowing. When the hay was ready for loading, samples of treated and iintreated material were taken for the digestibility tests with sheep. A similar procedure was followed at six centres in 1949, but in addition a 4 x 4 Latin square layout was adopted at one centre near to Edinburgh (Balerno) in order to obtain information on crop yields and on the percentage recovery of the nitrogen applied. In 1950 and 1951 only Latin square or random block experiments were carried out, and as these involved a great deal of attention the work was confined to three centres close to Edinburgh.Digestibility trials were made with half-brod wethers, each sample of hay being fed to two sheep, and the faeces collected over a period of 12 days. Although the experiments were not designed specifically to measure the utilization of the digested pr...

The composition and digestibility of Northern Irish hays III. Factors influencing the production of high-quality hays

Brown¹,

Robinson²

1952

A previous communication from these laboratories (Rutledge & Common, 1947) presented the results of a study of typical ryegrass 'seeds' hays grown in Northern Ireland under ordinary farming conditions. This work showed that the average feeding value of the ten samples examined was comparable only with that of 'poor' quality hay as classified by Watson & Horton (1936a). A survey of seeds hays has been carried out by Ferguson & Watson (1944) who have quoted starch equivalents approximately 20% higher than those found by Rutledge & Common (1947) for hays from comparable swards.At the beginning of 1949 it was decided to examine further the quality of typical Northern Ireland seeds hays with a view to ascertaining the factors contributing to their appreciably lower quality compared with those of Great Britain.It is well recognized that the date of commencement of hay-making is usually rather late in Northern Ireland. This delay probably occurs for two main reasons. First, weather conditions are often unfavourable for the conventional curing of relatively leafy hays, and, secondly, there is the desire to attain the maximum bulk from the swards.It appeared pertinent to the authors, then, to examine the quality of hays cut at an earlier stage than is usual, to see how far this factor might improve the general low level of feeding value already recorded. At the same time, in view of the possibility of adverse weather conditions, it was decided to examine the value of an alternative method of curing by the use of tripods. The results of a survey of early cut hays in 1949, presented in the present paper, showed that high quality could not be attained by earlier cutting alone; consequently, efforts were concentrated in 1950 on the production of high-quality hays of high protein content at three centres only, by combining early cutting with heavy nitrogenous manuring.The present communication also embodies conservation and digestibility data obtained in the course of these experiments. EXPERIMENTAL Field survey of qualityIn 1949, with the co-operation of farmers and county advisory staff at twenty-one centres, about one acre of sward was cut at a date approximately a fortnight earlier than is the normal practice. No special manurial treatment, other than basal dressings of mixed fertilizers early in the season, was given to any of the swards. At fifteen centres the swards were predominantly Italian and perennial ryegrasses, while the remainder wero short-term leys of ryegrass and clover. In the majority of cases cutting took place early in June, followed by ground-curing and tripod-curing of equal areas at each centre. The ground-curing system was standardized at the various centres and involved turning the hay until the sward was dry enough to be put up in tramped ricks in the field. At all centres tripods with cross-bars were used, and these were loaded within a few days after cutting. All samples of hay were taken from the ricks and the loaded tripods as they were being transported to the stack or barn for storage, usua...