local sources. It is to be pointed out that artificial dehydration in the Mid-
west takes place on forage crops that are generally low in moisture 65 percent
may be given as the highest in standard practice.

 Table 2

Production of One Ton of Dry Feed, with 10 Percent Moisture: Calculated
Water to be Evaporated, Fuel Requirements, and Output per Hour.


Pounds of water
to be evaporated


20,728
16,182
11,986
10,121
8,101
7,091
5,273
4,061
3,195


Fuel requirements
in gallons oil


207
162
120
101
81
71
53
41
32


Output per hour
basis #10,000
 dehydrator
 (tons)


.482
.618
.834
.988
1.234
1.410
1.896
2.462
3.129


 The above calculated rates and fuel required for the dehydration of forages
that are very high in moisture will not hold true in practice. Such chopped
materials are a watery-viscous mass that defy mechanical breakup actions that
would fully expose each small plant part to the hot air currents within a dehy-
drator. Hence, the drying process is very slow and often thin leaf sections
are burned to a char before the mass is dehydrated.

 New Prospectus

 A forage crop is normally selected and grown on the basis of a farmer's
ability to make hay or silage using natural methods of curing and processing.
A new prospectus in growing a crop for cattle production may be centered on
crop yields in terms of feed qualities, the period when available, the associated
farm work requirements, and the degree of response to mechanical dewatering and
other physical operations leading up to direct feeding, silage making, and arti-
ficial dehydration.

 Table 3 gives data on the response of different crop materials to mechanical
 dewatering. This information was obtained with three presses loaned by Dan B.
 Vincent, Inc., Tampa, Florida, and data collected both at the Durrance Ranch,
 Brighton and Belle Glade, Florida.


Percent
Moisture