118 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Now, in regard to the catting of the bay. What is the 

 object of cutting hay ? Why, it is simply for the purpose of 

 drying it, and storing it conveniently, in a sound condition, 

 for the purpose of feeding it out to the cattle, which we are 

 obliged to keep in the barn six months in the year. That 

 is really the object of making hay. Now, in regard to the 

 cutting. I do not expect that half of you are going to agree 

 witli me. I believe in cutting hay early. I am speaking of 

 Timothy and red-top. The best way to cut that hay for all 

 purposes is when it is not quite fully in blossom, — I do not 

 want to have it get fully in blossom, — and there are some 

 reasons why it should be cut then. Grass is perhaps the 

 best food to grow cattle, horses, and sheep ; and the nearer 

 you can keep your hay to the form of grass, the better. I 

 understand that many men who keep horses, particularly 

 fast horses, want to have their hay cut later. We do not 

 care any thing about fast horses : we are satisfied with any 

 thing that will go about twelve miles an hour when we are 

 out. We do not care any thing about speed : we only want 

 something that we can get around and do our work with 

 comfortably, and go to mill and meeting, etc. Now, the 

 reasons wh}- you should cut it early are, in the first place, 

 that it will make more milk, if you propose to make milk ; 

 it will make more and better butter ; cattle will grow better 

 on it, and eat it cleaner. The same is true of sheep and 

 horses. Some will say it is not woody enough for horses ; 

 but I had rather have my horses eat hay made from succu- 

 lent grass than to load them up with wood inside. 



Chemists will tell you that there is actually more nutriment 

 in the grass after the seed is nearly matured. I presume m}' 

 friends Dr. Nichols and Dr. Goessmann will say the same 

 thing; but cows, and the other stock that it is fed to, will prove 

 to you that it is better cut early : so you have got your cows 

 on one side, and the chemists on the other. Well, they are 

 both right : that is the beauty of it ; and I think that is 

 easily explained. The chemist, by the powerful solvents 

 that he uses in his analyses, will show you that there is a 

 certain amount of nutriment in that food. Well, you can 

 put a cow to eating it, and she will say that that food is not 

 as good as the other ; that the early cut, tender hay is the 

 best, and probably for the reason that she can more readily 



