Cultivation of Arable Land. Red Clover After-management of. 3.59 



of plants, it is always the befl practice to cut it rather early, as by remaining on 

 the ground it not only lofrs its heads and lower leaves and becomes reduced in 

 quantity, hut the plants are rendered hard and Micky and fo cxhaufted as to re 

 main a great length of time after mowing before they fend up new (hoots ^nd afford 

 good herbage.* After it has been cut, Mr. Middleton advifes that the fwaths 

 fhould not be fpread out, as is the coirmon practice with meadow grafs, but fuffered 

 to lie in the ftate the fcythe leaves them until they are dried about tv&amp;gt; o thirds through, 

 which, if the feafon proves favourable, will be in about three days, and if the 

 weather mould then appear promifmg, they may be turned with rakes immediately 

 after the dew is off. if there be no rain, the clover thus fpread out will be ready 

 to cock up the next morning, or on the fourth day, as foon as the dew is fully 

 gone, and may be carried in as foon afterwards as is convenient. And if this be 

 done as foon as the dew is well off, the leaves will be jufl fufficiently tough to 

 preferve them ; whereas when this operation is omitted in the morning, and per 

 formed in the heat of the day, they will be too dry, being reduced to powder, 

 and loft in the bufinefs of heaping and loading. When, however, it is heaped 

 fufficiently early in the morning, the loading and flacking may continue through 

 the day. Where a part of the produce is become rather over dry, there is a 

 method adopted by expert haymakers of putting the rows into heaps without 

 rubbing the leaves off. It is only familiar to a few, and is performed by rolling 

 the fwaths over with rather larger forks than ufual in a very gentle manner, keep 

 ing them from being fcparated or broken, and then laying them lightly into the 

 cock, being careful to avoid breaking, and tofling the hay about, putting it along 

 the ground, or beating it down flat. In this mode of converting clover into hay 

 there will not only be much lefs lofs, but the hay be of a much better colour and 

 finer flavour ; which are circumftances of great importance both in its fale and ufe 

 as fodder. 



Where a fecond crop is to be taken for the fame purpofe, all cattle fhould be 

 kept cut of the field, in order that it may be in full blofTom and ready for the 

 fcythe about the laft week in Auguft. It muft be made into hay in the fame manner 

 as the firft, and mould not be delayed later, on account of its lofing in weight, and 

 the danger of not getting it into the ftack before the heavy dews and rains fet in. 

 Befides, by getting the hay off as early as poflible, there will be more fheep-feed 

 previous to ploughing the land up in the autumn for wheat. The quantity of 

 produce in the fecond crop is in general confiderably lefs than in thefirfl, and not by 



* Corrected Report of Perthfhire, 



