184 Feeds and Feeding. 



By the third method the clover is cut in the forenoon after the 

 dew is off, and remains untouched in the swath until afternoon, 

 when it is raked into loose windrows, and from these bunched into 

 large well-made cocks or miniature stacks before the dew falls. The 

 cocks stand for several days, the clover undergoing a sweating process 

 which is essential in making the finest quality of hay. After sweat- 

 ing and when the weather is favorable, the cocks are carefully 

 opened in large flakes to avoid shattering the leaves. These flakes 

 rapidly give off their moisture, and the material is soon ready for 

 the barn. Hay cured in cocks is sometimes protected by muslin 

 covers or caps to keep off the rain. Whatever the system adopted, 

 great care should be exercised to preserve the leaves and blossom 

 heads, which are easily wasted, leaving only the coarse, woody stems. 

 Under any system of hay making the clover plant should never be 

 placed in barn or stack when carrying moisture from either dew or 

 rain. 



252. Losses by faulty curing. According to Wolff, 1 from 25 to 

 40 per ct. of the dry substance of clover hay can be extracted by 

 means of cold water. Eitthausen cured one sample of clover hay 

 quickly and allowed another to lie a fortnight in the rain with the 

 results shown below: 



Not rained upon Rained upon 



Water 16.0 per cent 16.0 per cent 



Crude protein 14. 6 per cent 15. 8 per cent 



Fiber . 25.3 per cent 37.4 per cent 



N-free extract and fat 36. 1 per cent 23. 4 per cent 



Ash __ 8.0 per cent 7.5 per cent 



The table shows that rain decreased by one-third the content of 

 nitrogen-free extract and fat, which have high feeding value, while 

 percentagely the woody fiber, of low feeding value, was materially 

 increased, and the crude protein slightly augmented. Rain not only 

 injures hay by washing out the soluble portions, making it more 

 woody, but also destroys the aroma and favors the growth of molds 

 and mildew. (213) 



253. Spontaneous combustion. It is now generally conceded that 

 spontaneous combustion may occur in partly dried clover or grass. 

 Hoffmann 2 states that when hay heats, oxygen is taken from the 

 air, and organic matter is transformed into carbon dioxid and water. 

 The water thus formed further moistens the hay, which then fer- 

 ments, owing to the presence of bacteria. The first fermentation 



1 Farm Foods, Eng. ed., p. 160. 2 Exp. Sta. Bee., 10, p. 880. 



