Cultivation of Grafs Land. Hay-making What neccffury in. 453 



00 much in the flack ; it mould, therefore, be put very early together, in order to 

 promote a confiderable fweating, as the only means of imparting a flavour to it, 

 \vhich will make it agreeable tQjfcorfes and lean cattle, as if will be nearly unfit for 

 every other fort of (lock. It is the fucculent herbage of rich land, or land highly 

 manured, that is moft likely to generate too great a degree of he^t ; ofcourfe 

 grafs from fuch land mould have more time allowed in making it into hay. In mo 

 derately hot fcafons the proper point of dry ing may beeafily judged of; but when 

 they are very hot and fcorching it is eafy to be miflaken ; as in fuch weather the 

 grafs becomes crifp, ruflles, and handles like hay, before the moifture or fap is 

 fufficiently difllpatcd for it to be in a flate fit to be laid up in large (lacks. If that, 

 however, be done when it is thus infufficiently made, it rnoftly heats too much, be 

 coming mow-burnt in fome cafes.-*&quot; 



There is another circumflance, which though difficult in many cafes to be perfor 

 med, is of much confequence ; this is that of &quot; carrying the whole of the hay juft 

 ai the moment it is fufficiently made ; which is neceffary in order to its yielding the 

 greatefl poflible weight, and preferving its beft quality ; as every minute after that 

 precife time it continues to lofe, both in weight and in its nutritious properties, by 

 cvaporation, &quot; as is evinced by the fmell. &amp;lt;( Even the difference of an hour, in a 

 very hot drying day, Is fuppofed to occafion a lofsof 15 or 20 per cent, on the hay, 

 by its being carried beyond the point of perfection, and frequently even a greater 

 lofs is fuflained.&quot;f 



The art of hay-making has been obferved to have been brought to a degree of 

 perfection in this diftrict altogether unequalled by any other part of the kingdom. 

 The neat hulbandry and fuperior Ikill and management, fo much and juflly ad 

 mired in the arable farmers of the bed cultivated diflricts, may, with equal juftice 

 and propriety, be faid to belong in a very eminent degree to the hay-farmers of 

 this part of the ifland, as they may very fairly claim the merit of having reduced 

 the art of making good hay to a regular fyftem; which, after having flood the tefl 

 of long practice and experience, is found to be attended with the mofl perfect fuc- 

 cefs. Even in the mofl unfavourable feafons, the hay made according to this me 

 thod is fuperior to that made by any other under fimilar circumflances. It is, 

 therefore, to be regretted that this very excellent practice has not yet, except in .1 

 very few inftances, travelled beyond the limits of the county. But as it highly 

 defervcs the attention and imitation of farmers in other diflricts, we fhalJ defcrihr 



* Middlefex Report. ^ Ibid. 



