CUTTIiSTG AND CURING HAY. • ^55 



Cutting and Curing Hay. 



The discussion regarding the time for cutting, and' the mode of 

 curing bay, was resumed. 



Mr. Taylor of North Wayne. I shall only attempt to give 

 some experience. Some five years ago, I became satisfied that 

 we dried our hay too much, and made some trials. My first ex- 

 periment was to put my hay into the barn after drying it about 

 half as much as usual, and it came out well. Since then, I have 

 further experimented, and now my practice is to cut at 9 o'clock 

 in the morning, if the day appears to be favorable. In the after- 

 noon, I turn it over, for the purpose of getting the dew and damp- 

 ness all out of it. By that time, the hay will be, not dried, but 

 heated. I then put that hay up as fast as possible, and if the 

 prospect is that there will be a storm, I get it into the barn ; if 

 not, I let it stand over until the next day. Then I turn over the 

 cocks — ^I do not spread them, but simply turn them over, so that 

 if any dampness has collected at the bottom, it shall have a chance 

 to evaporate. Then, at the earliest moment I can, after the ground 

 is warm, I commence carting and put it in the barn, and tread as 

 solid as possible. In one instance, I had a very heavy man with 

 me, and I told him to tread the hay as closely as possible. I 

 thought if it could be trodden down hard enough to have it rot, I 

 wanted to know it ; and I have to say, that when I came to feed 

 that hay out, it was as bright as the moment it was cut by the 

 scythe. It was exactly right. 



My experience is, that if you have water in your hay, you 

 must dry it out, but if there is no water in it, you can put it into 

 as large a mow as you please, and tread it as closely as you please, 

 and it is perfectly safe. I am now feeding hay that I put in last 

 season, and my neighbors thought I was crazy. I would like to 

 have any gentleman come and look at that hay ; it is as perfect as 

 can be, and in my estimation, is worth 25 per cent, more than hay 

 dried in the way I was taught when a boy. 



The Chairman. It has been said that a good deal of the hay on 

 top of the mow would spoil. 



Mr. Taylor. That is not my experience. I never cover mine 

 with straw, old hay, or anything of the kind. On the top of the 

 mow, after it begins to sweat, it will be very wet, and perhaps 

 two or three inches on top will be a little colored. The talk about 

 rotting is all humbug. I have never lost a pound, I have never 



