The Feeding Value of Artificially Dried Pasture Herbage for Milk Production

The nutritive value of artificially dried pasture grass is the subject of considerable investigation.Hodgson and Knott (1) conducted digestibility trials with dairy heifers and found artificially dried pasture grass to be highly nutritious.The crude protein which constituted 24.64 per cent of the dry matter, was 74.92 per cent digestible.The coefficients of digestibility of the dry matter, the crude fiber and nitrogen-free extract were 67.57, 72.68 and 74.55 per cent, respectively.The average digestibility of the ether extract was 21.90 per cent.Neulander and Jones (2) reported the following coefficients of digestibility for artificially dried pasture grass: dry matter 72.4 per cent: crude protein, 71.0 per cent; crude fiber, 73.3 per cent; nitrogen-free extract, 81.6 per cent; and ether extract, 46.4 per cent.Newlander (3) conducted feeding trials using the reversal method with two groups of five cows each in comparing the feeding value of dried grass with a grain mixture.One group was fed mixed clover and timothy hay, corn silage and a grain mixture, while the test group received dried grass in place of the grain ration.He found that "These trials showed that grasses cut at intervals of from seven to 10 days resembles closely in composition and digestibility the 20 per cent dairy ration used.The fiber content of the dried grass was somewhat higher and the nitrogen-free extract content correspondingly lower.When 10 ]bs. of the artificially dried grass was fed with liberal allowances of hay and silage and a small amount of grain, entirely satisfactory results were secured.Feeding this grass with two-thirds the regular allowance of silage and hay and no grain produced excellent results.While average milk production could be obtained by feeding this grass instead of all purchased concentrates, it ~-as deemed advisable to supply about one-third the usual amount of grain when maximmn production was desired or when high producing cows are being fed."Watson (4) found artificially dried grass very palatable to lactating dairy cows.He reported that when cows were receiving dried grass as the major part of the ration milk production was efficiently maintained.