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Home , Fodder, Hay, Silage

HAY, , AND 497 that is thought to be pure. Poisoning summer and fall. Second-year sweet- can usually be avoided by feeding will furnish an abundance of to before turning them on the pasturage in midsummer. There is a . Another precaution is to turn danger of bloat, but it is not serious only a few head of stock on the pasture and can be avoided in most cases by until it is determined that there is no feeding enough dry feed before turn- danger from poisoning. ing the stock on sweetclover so that Sweetclover also makes an excellent they will not immediately gorge them- temporary pasture. Sufficient growth selves. Another way to avoid bloat is is usually made during the first season to have dry roughage available to to provide some pasture during late stock while they are being pastured.

HAY, FODDER, AND SILAGE CROPS

L. G. NEWELL

ON THE BASIS of acreage, wild hay Studies of the composition and nutri- is the outstanding hay of the re- tive value of native vegetation at Man- gion. More than 9 million acres of it dan, N. Dak., showed that western were harvested in 1946. Nebraska, needlegrass comprises 50 to 75 percent South Dakota, and lead of the total weight of the grasses. Fifty the United States in the production of or more different kinds of plants were wild hay. It is the principal return found. Since the droughts of 1934 and from virgin, unbroken lands other than 1936, the needlegrass has largely been the . replaced by western wheatgrass. Wild hays, made up chiefly of the Wheatgrass hay is produced on the tall and mid-tall grasses of the prairie fine-textured soils largely to the north regions, are the prairie hays of com- and west of the Nebraska sand hills. merce, although their most important It is especially important along river use is within the region. On the market bottoms in northeastern Montana, they are graded as Upland Prairie or This hay is frequently harvested from Midland Prairie hays according to the nearly pure stands of western - kinds and qualities of the grasses they grass. Feeding tests have shown it to be contain. equal or superior to hay for Prairie hays are composed of a large wintering . number of grasses and grasslike plants, In the Nebraska sand hills, which with smaller admixtures of native and are unique in ranching and haying op- introduced species belonging to many erations, a good balance is achieved different families. In any particular between range and hay land. Ranges of case, the large percentage of the grass the sand hills or adjacent hard lands in the hay will be of a few species. provide grazing. of the sub- The principal grasses found in Up- irrigated valleys produce abundant land Prairie hays are the bluestems, hay crops in which the bluestems pre- needlegrasses, and whcatgrasses, with dominate. These hay lands are a post- such grasses as junegrass, the grama climax development resulting from the grasses, the dropseeds, Indiangrass, westw^ard extension of the tall grasses and switchgrass contributing smaller along the valleys. Studies of these hay amounts in different hays. The princi- meadows have shown that the rela- pal species of Midland Prairie hays are tive amounts of the many kinds of those adapted to growing in wet areas; grasses are closely associated with dis- among them are sloughgrass or cord- tances to the water table. The quality grass, blue joint, and switchgrass. and yield of hay have been greatly im- 757:150°—48 HB 498 YEARBOOK OF 1948 proved by the introduction of grasses provide some of the best adapt- into some of these subirrigated mead- ed plant materials for this purpose, ows. Haymaking, the principal har- but until 1934 of these grasses vesting operation in the sand-hill was not available. Since then much ranching area, continues from June progress has been made in domesticat- until September. Some of the early-cut ing them, seed has been machine har- hay of best quality is baled and shipped vested in large quantities from native out of the region to terminal markets. stands and nurseries, and methods A large tonnage of stacked hay is re- of establishment have been developed. quired for overwintering operations It is now possible to obtain seed and within the area. establish stands of such important Haymaking and hay-feeding meth- grasses as western wheatgrass, feather ods have become largely mechanized bunchgrass, wild-, big bluestem, with either improvised or modern switchgrass, sand lovegrass, side- machinery within the past 15 years. grama, blue grama, and buíTalograss. An experiment to measure the ef- A continuing problem, however, is to fects of time of cutting on the yields increase seed supplies of the adapted and quality of typical bluestem hay superior strains in order that they may was started recently in southern Ne- become generally available for con- braska on a section of unbroken prairie servation plantings and for hay and given to the University of Nebraska for pasture production. experimental purposes. The effects of In general, cool-season grasses— different clipping treatments on the which grow early in the spring and ma- are to be measured over a ture seed in early summer—have been period of years and the results inter- shown to have a much higher content preted each year in terms of the feeding of crude protein than those of the value of the hay. The first experiments warm-season group, which reach their showed that early-cutting and after- greatest growth in the hot months. As math gave the best hay. such, they are important species for High quality is important in hay- consideration as hay. The cool-season making. Studies of the diíTcrent kinds group, including native western wheat- of prairie hays indicate that the pro- grass, wild-ryes, feather bunchgrass, tein content drops as the grasses ma- and the introduced crested wheatgrass, ture. There also seems to be a close intermediate wheatgrass, and brome- association between protein and caro- grass, offers the best possibilities for tene content of hays. Although the hay crops in the region. These tall early-cut hays usually contain enough grasses are suited to hay-harvesting protein to exceed minimum feed re- methods, but require considerable quirements, the later cut hays fre- amounts of moisture for maximum quently are deficient. Feeding of pro- yields. However, they combine vary- tein supplemients has become common ing degrees of ability to withstand in wintering cattle on native hay or on drought with the ability to produce the range, with the result that a maxi- good yields when moisture conditions mum return is had from the hays fed. are favorable. They are important for use in supplementing the warm-season Cultivated Perennials group, which predominate in native hays and on the range. Seed of adapted strains are needed On the other hand, adapted strains when croplands are put back into per- of the warm-season grasses such as big ennial grasses. Most of the commonly bluestem, switchgrass, sand lovegrass, cultivated grasses have never and the grama grasses are important been successfully established under the for reseeding on sandy soils and in the variable and severe of the southw^estern part where the cool-sea- Northern Great Plains. The native son species are less well adapted. HAY, FODDER, AND SILAGE CROPS 499 Crested wheatgrass is the most im- but the use of adapted strains and the portant introduced species in the re- recent favorable seasons have extended gion. Stands of this grass are useful its use farther westward. It is espe- supplements to the range for early cially recommended on fertile soils spring pasture; they make it possible and under irrigation in mixtures with to defer grazing of the warm-season alfalfa. range grasses until a proper growth has been made. If it is not used early Hays in the season as pasturage^ crested wheatgrass will provide a hay or a Alfalfa, the most important legume seed crop. For the best hay it should be hay in the Northern Great Plains, is es- cut before a maximum of heading has pecially valuable in the finishing ration taken place in order to insure a high with for cattle and . It is protein content. When properly han- also grown for shipment to dairy cen- dled, the feeding value of crested ters and for use as a component of wheatgrass is high, ranking with other commercial feeds. cool-season grasses and alfalfa. An- The alfalfa plant has a deep root other introduced wheatgrass that sho^vs system, and, onc(.^ established, can draw promise through the southern half of heavily on subsoil moisture. It can the region is intermediate wheatgrass. therefore survive moderately dry The demand for grasses to be used weather for rather long periods under for soil conservation purposes has proper management. Alfalfa is grown greatly increased the acreage of brome- to best advantage on fertile soils with grass along the eastern edge of the naturally favorable moisture condi- region. The Dakotas have long been tions or under irrigation, where it recognized as one of the principal pro- reaches its greatest production and is ducing areas of bromegrass seed in the valued as an important crop in the United States, Nebraska grew more rotation. With sufficient moisture, than 50 percent of the bromegrass seed three good cuttings are usually ob- in the United States in 1944 and 1945. tained a year in the southern part and It is estimated that plantings in Ne- two cuttings in the northern part. braska have increased from a few thou- Varieties for this region must carry sand acres to more than a half million a high degree of winter-hardiness to acres in 10 years. Originally planted withstand the typical cold weather that for conservation purposes, bromegrass often occurs without a snow cover. is now being used for pasture, hay Hardistan, Grimm, Cossack, Baltic, and seed production, and as a crop in Ladak, Ranger, and the Northern rotations. Commons are the most important Increased acreage in the southern varieties with sufficient winter-hardi- part has been made possible by the ness to survive. discovery of adapted strains. Lincoln Bacterial wilt is prevalent in dis- bromegrass, certified in Nebraska, and tricts where soil moisture conditions the Achcnbach strain, produced in favor maximum production. The dis- northern Kansas, are the leading ease is not serious on upland soils, but strains adapted for establishment on wilt-resistant varieties are desired for critical planting sites and under the seed production because of favorable relatively longer hot summers of that price considerations. Of the new wilt- part of the region. These varieties are resistant varieties. Ranger is the most thought to be derived from an early likely to prove adapted. It yields about introduction of seed of Hungarian ori- the same in seed and forage as Grimm gin in contrast to northern-grown in the absence of bacterial wilt. strains of Russian origin. Bromegrass Spring seedings of alfalfa are the is primarily considered best adapted more common, although good stands along the eastern edge of the region. can be obtained by seeding in late sum- 50O YEARBOOK OF AGRICULTURE 19 48 mer if moisture conditions arc favor- are considered to be the cause of the able and grasshoppers are not too nu- blood-thinning effects of feeding the merous. A firm, moist seedbed is essen- spoiled sweetclover hay. Extensive re- tial. If the field has not grown alfalfa search is being directed toward the de- or sweetclover previously, inoculation velopment of new varieties of low cou- of the seed with cultures of the proper marin content. strains of -fixing may Growing grasses and in mix- be beneficial for establishment and tures is a desirable practice for improv- early growth in certain localities. ing and maintaining yields and pro- Planting with a drill provides the best viding high protein content. Such mix- means of obtaining even distribution tures are more practical under condi- of seed and uniform depth of seeding. tions where moisture may be the lim- It will usually pay to compact the seed- iting factor during parts of the season bed with a corrugated roller following than are legume crops grown alone. broadcasting or drilling. Best stands Soil moisture is made available to dif- are usually obtained without a nurse ferent types of root systems and growth crop. is distributed during different parts of The climate of the region favors the the season. Nitrogen accumulated in production of high-quality alfalfa hay. the soil by growth of legume plants When properly cured, hay cut at the can be used efTectively by perennial one-tenth bloom stage provides a nu- forage grasses during periods of favor- tritious product, without danger to the able moisture supply. Grass roots as- stand. Harvesting procedures should sist in stabilizing soil against erosion. be adopted that retain the maximum Alfalfa and sweetclover are the best percentage of leaves with a rich-green legumes now available for inclusion color in order to obtain good quality in mixtures. Their use with cool-season of protein and high vitamin content. grasses is particularly desirable, since If properly cured and stored, the hay these grasses require a readily available will provide these essentials to animal supply of nitrogen during the cool health during periods of the year w^hen months of the year when nitrogen other green feeds arc not available. release by the soil is slow. The develop- Sweetclover is wddely adapted, but ment of drought-tolerant strains of its importance as a hay crop is sec- alfalfa and sw^eetclover and of other ondary to its value as pasture or as a legumes which may be adapted for soil-building crop in the rotation. growing with grasses is extremely de- Adapted new varieties include Ever- sirable. green, Spanish, and Madrid sw^eet- Where annual rainfall is low, grow- clovers, which have been shown to be ing grass in row^s is feasible for obtain- superior to the common wählte and ing maximum yields. At the Archer common yellow varieties that are Field Station in Wyoming a practice of still being grown wddely. If it is har- growing a mixture of crested wheat- vested at the proper stage and prop- grass and alfalfa in rows with cultiva- erly cured, sweetclover hay is compar- tion has been a successful method of able in composition and feeding value producing a mixed hay. to alfalfa. On poor soil, plantings of sweet- clover in the rotation ahead of the seed- Grass-Legume Mixtures ing of grasses is proving practicable in building up a readily available supply Special care must be exercised in of nitrogen for the benefit of the grass curing sweetclover because when it is crop during its period of establishment. spoiled it might kill livestock. The bit- Volunteering of the sweetclover in the ter quality of sweetclover is due to a grass stand is also desirable if the substance known as coumarin. Changes plants are not so thick as to compete in coumarin resulting from spoilage with the establishment of the grass. HAY, FODDER5 AND SILAGE CROPS 501 hays, chiefly rye and wheat, age should be cut when the arc sometimes used in the western part seed has reached the medium-dough of the region to provide a quick-grow- stage. ing hay crop. The hay is cut in an early The crop is second in acre- stage to insure a high protein content. age and production to alfalfa as a culti- Such hays are especially valued as vated forage crop in the Northern roughage for small dairy herds. Great Plains. It is grown chiefly in the The are summer catch crops southern half, where it may supplant that are well adapted here. They pro- corn in the rotation because of its duce hay crops in about 50 to 75 days greater tolerance to drought. from planting and usually give a good Varieties like Black Amber, Fre- yield. Their short growing season mont, Rancher, and Dakota Amber makes them especially valuable to re- are comparatively drought-resistant place crops destroyed by hail in the and well adapted. In the eastern and early part of the growing season. The southeastern districts and under irri- chief varieties arc Common, German, gation. Atlas, Box, Lcoti, and Axtell Hungarian, Siberian, White Wonder, are the most productive. These long- and Proso. is usually cut for season varieties are also sometimes hay just after blooming. Hay cut later grown farther north in areas where is inferior in quality but may be fed they are not expected to produce seed. with little danger to cattle and sheep. Forage varieties of sorghum and Millet hays, especially if miature, are corn are used sometimes as silage, the considered unsatisfactory for . early-maturing varieties of corn be- Sudan hay, another summer crop, is ing the most important in the north- extensively used as supplemental feed. ern counties. When used as silage, Valued as a summer pasture in the sorghums produce a good grade of eastern counties, it is frequently har- roughage with a somewhat higher yield vested as hay if the summer forage sup- than corn. They should be cut at a ply is ample for grazing. It is usually more mature stage for silage than for close-drilled to provide a fine-stemmed fodder. Cutting too early promotes hay, which should be cut w^ell before spoilage. Silage can be stored for a maturity in order to insure maximum longer time than fodder without mate- quality and ease of handling. rial loss of quality or palatability. It can be carried over as an emergency Fodder and Silage feed for years of drought. Some waste of hays, , and A common practice is to grow a silage is inevitable if sufficient reserves mixed cane as a bundle feed. Mixed are carried from year to year. These sorghum, seeded with an ordinary wastes may be held to a minimum if drill, gives a summer crop that is rela- old supplies are used up periodically, tively fine-stemmed and can be har- along with other feeds of good quality. vested with a grain binder or mow^ed The value of such supplies cannot be and stacked for winter use. overestimated from the standpoint of Results at experiment stations indi- their insurance against feed shortages cate that better yields and quality can during recurrent droughts and periods be had by growing selected varieties when the normal disposal rate of live- than by planting mixed of un- stock is interrupted by unfavorable known adaptation. Seed should be markets. treated to insure good stands and to control grain smuts. The best fodder THE AUTHORS^<- George±Roß- yields are usually obtained by seeding 1er grew up on a in the Flint Hills in rows with cultivation, harvesting area of eastern Kansas. He attended with a corn binder, and placing in Kansas State College and the Univer- shocks for curing. For fodder the for- sity of Minnesota. Mr, Rogler has been 502 YEARBOOK OF AGRICULTURE 19 48 engaged in research with grass since economics at Montana State College 1934; he is now an agronomist in the at Bozeman. From 1934 to 1937 he was Bureau of Plant Industry^ Soils^ and associated with the Land Utilization Agricultural Engineering at the North- Division of the Resettlement Admin- em Great Plains Field Station, Man- istration; from 1937 to 1942 he was dan, N. Dak., where he has been lo- head of the Division of Land Eco- cated since 1936. nomics of the Bureau of Agricultural Leon C. Hurtt was reared on a Economics. From 1942 to 1946, he western Nebraska farm and was grad- operated a cattle in Montana. uated from the University of Ne- L. C. Newell, a native of Nebraska, braska. His early Forest Service assign- has been engaged in research on grasses ments were on Utah and New Mexico in the Central Great Plains since 1935. range studies. Later he was forest Dr. Newell is an agronomist in the supervisor in Idaho and Montaría for Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and 8 years. Since 1932 he has been in Agricultural Engineering. Now he is charge of range research for the North- delegated to the Nebraska Agricultural ern Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station in Lincoln where Experiment Station. he has charge of the cooperative grass M. M. Kelso is ranch economist for investigations, including the selection the Montana Agricultural Experiment and breeding of superior strains of Station and professor of agricultural native and introduced forage grasses.