The water‐soluble carbohydrates of grasses. II. —Grasses cut at grazing height several times during the growing season

Four perennial grasses were cut with a motor mower each time they reached a height of about 8‐10in. during the growing seasons of 1951 and 1952. The water‐soluble carbohydrates, glucose and fructose (reported together as free hexoses), sucrose and fructosan were determined in each cut. Grasses in which the growing point had recently changed to a floral development (in May or June) contained more carbohydrate than grass grown and cut later in the season. The primary reason for this was that the later grasses were more leafy, and, secondly, that their stems contained much less fructosan than those of the earlier cuts.