EFFECT OF VARIOUS MECHANICAL FORAGE HARVESTING DEVICES ON FIELD CURING RATES AND RELATIVE HARVESTING LOSSES

摘要

The field drying rate of most forage crops can be accelerated by mechanically damaging the plant's natural protective coating. Present mechanical treatments which increase the drying rate usually result in some plant dismemberment. Harvest losses are a function of the degree of plant dismemberment. Higher rites of drying result from the use of mechanical equipment that confines the plant damage to the high moisture slow drying portion of the plant, and is of a shredding rather than a chopping or stripping nature.nRoll type crushers were highly successful in increasing the field drying rate of both alfalfa and hybrid sorghum-sudangrass. Harvest losses resulting from the use of these machines were relatively small.