THE SMALLER GRASSESSTRAW HAY-MAKING 221 



When it is desired to secure prime hay without regard to expense, it 

 is mown as soon as the dew is off in the morning, allowed to lie in the 

 swath until dry on the surface, then turned, if heavy, by hand or by 

 hay tedder, or raked into loose windrows. Before the dew falls, it is 

 bunched into well-made cocks and, if sufficiently cured so that it will 

 not mold, is allowed to remain until it has passed thru a sweating proc- 

 ess. With legume hay it is well to protect the cocks from rain by hay 

 caps. After sweating, it is usually necessary to open the cocks carefully 

 and in large flakes to avoid shattering the leaves. These flakes rapid- 

 ly give off their moisture, which by this time has spread evenly to all 

 parts, and the hay is soon ready for the barn. Where the hay was green 

 or damp with rain when cocked, it may be necessary to open the cocks 

 the next morning, recocking before nightfall if still not dry enough. 

 By this system the hay is exposed but little to the bleaching action of 

 the sun and dew, and there is no marked loss of aroma, which, tho un- 

 weighable, has real value in rendering hay palatable. Before the partly 

 dried plants are piled into cocks, the leaves will have dried out more 

 than the stems. As the leaves and stems remain alive for some time 

 after having been severed by the mower, if the hay is cocked before the 

 leaves are entirely dried out and thereby killed, they will continue to 

 draw water from the stems. This process is especially important with 

 the legumes, which have thick stems that are usually quite succulent, 

 while tHe leaves dry rapidly and become brittle and shatter badly. Hay 

 cocked in the afternoon entraps much warm air, and the mass remains 

 in a condition favorable to the transpiration, or giving off, of moisture 

 during the night. The heat yielded by the plant while still carrying 

 on its life functions and the warm air entrapped by grass gathered in 

 the afternoon should not be confused with the heat which may develop 

 in partially cured or damp hay thru fermentation, caused by molds 

 and bacteria. 



Hay put into the barn when so dry that it will not pack well, is not 

 in first class condition. It should be mowed away with just that amount 

 of moisture which allows it to settle compactly when treaded down. Salt 

 and lime scattered over hay when put into the mow tend to prevent 

 fermentation and check the growth of molds. Salt also renders it more 

 palatable. These materials are not essential, but are helpful, especially 

 when storing partially cured hay during bad weather. Damp hay may 

 be improved by placing it in alternate layers with dry straw. The straw 

 absorbs moisture as well as aroma from the hay, so that cattle the more 

 readily eat both straw and hay. Hay from second-growth grass, or 

 aftermath, is rich in nutrients, but it is made at a time when the ground 

 is often damp and cool, the days short, and the heat of the sun weak. 

 This combination renders the curing of aftermath difficult, and the prod- 

 uct is apt to be of less value than first-crop hay. Cured under favor- 

 able conditions, aftermath hay is excellent. 



New-made hay is laxative and should not be fed to horses, since it 



