GRASS CROP. 113 



later, I am greatly mistaken. Then there is another thing to be 

 considered. You get a second crop, which is large and of equally 

 good quality. It does not disturb the digestion of animals as 

 rowen often does ; and certainly two crops are worth more than 

 any one that can be got oif the land. 



The effect of this upon cattle is just like grass — a great pro- 

 portion of it is soluble, and animals thrive well upon it ; takes 

 less to keep them ; they will give more milk, make better looking 

 butter and more of it. Such hay will do admirably for horses. 

 Town or city horses kept on it will hardly thank their owner for a 

 run at pasture, and they will thrive on a smaller quantity than 

 otherwise. I have two horses now which have been kept for some 

 years upon six quarts of meal daily, and late cut hay. It required 

 that amount to keep them in condition. I now give them only 

 two quarts of meal (and have given then only that quantity for 

 the last year and a half) in combination with hay that I cut early, 

 and they are in better condition than they were two, three or four 

 years ago. I consider them the best arguments I can produce. 

 They certainly thrive better on two quarts of meal and the haj' 

 they get now, than they did formerly upon six quarts of meal and 

 late cut hay." 



I intended to leave this part of my subject here, but I must add, 

 that instead of following all the old fogy notions of our grand- 

 fathers, it is better occasionally to take a lesson from our good old 

 grandmothers, who were alwaj'^s ready to assist us with their herbs 

 in all the ills that flesh is heir to. They knew before you or I 

 were born, that all kinds of herbs were almost worthless after 

 they had passed the blossom. They always cut them when in full 

 bloom or before. God bless the ladies ; what should we do with- 

 out them ? Instead of standing as we now do in this enlightened, 

 and progressive age ; we should probably bo just emerging from 

 the days of barbarism. And I come now to the fourthly of my 



text, viz : 



The Curing of Hay. 



Judging by the various practices of our farmers, we may con- 

 clude that opinions in regard to curing hay are as numerous and 

 diverse as in regard to the time for cutting ; but among them all 

 there can be but one right v/ay of doing it. 



We should first consider for what purpose we want it, and then 

 h ;w we can best gain our object. Is our labor to be bestowed 

 8 



