246 Kansas State Board of Agriculture. 



of poles, or a layer of poles covered with old boards. Old hay or straw 

 which is thoroughly dry may be used where poles are not at hand. The 

 top of the stack should be covered with canvas, boards, or metal covers. 

 If nothing better can be found, a load of green alfalfa spread over the 

 top will serve very well. Slough grass or old hay can be used to advan- 

 tage. (See "Storing," in index.) 



BALING. 



When hay has been stacked or housed it goes through the process of 

 sweating, which requires five to eight weeks. After it has been through 

 the sweat there is practically no danger of heating in the bale, and unless 

 circumstances are unusual, hay should not be baled before the process of 

 sweating is complete. Hay which is baled in the field must pass through 

 the sweat afterward, and considerable loss is often sustained from mold- 

 ing on the edges. If sufficient ventilation between all bales is secured the 

 sweating may be prevented, but the quality of hay is not as good as that 

 which has sweated in the mow or stack. Much dissatisfaction results all 

 along the line when the shipper puts hay on the market direct from the 

 baler in the field. Baling in the field requires from one to three days 

 longer curing than does stacking or mowing. The first crop of the season 

 is most difficult to handle in this manner, and requires longer curing than 

 succeeding cuttings. It should not be attempted while any dew or rain 

 is remaining on the hay. 



Ownership of a power press will prove profitable only when a large 

 acreage is grown by one individual or when there is considerable hay 

 grown in one locality. Such a press should bale 20 to 30 tons a day. Un- 

 less there are at least 200 tons to be baled, a two-horse press is ad- 

 visable. 



Bales should be neat, uniform, square-ended, properly wired, and made 

 up of distinct layers of approximately the same size and easily separable. 

 Such bales command a better price, especially on a crowded market. 

 Bales of uniform length pack better in a car, square ends tend to prevent 

 falling apart, and distinct layers permit of easy feeding. In making a 

 bale each feed should be uniform, and special care should be given the 

 start and finish of a bale to secure square ends. A receiver is always on 

 the lookout when once he has received a sandwiched bale, and only one 

 grade of hay should be put in a bale. Great loss is always sustained from 

 putting in bleached or burned hay. 



The Kansas City market prefers bales of 65- to 75-pound size, and 

 careful attention to condition of bales is profitable. (See "Baling" and 

 "Marketing," in index.) 



SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION. 



Hay which is reasonably well cured will rarely become so hot as to 

 burn if it has been put up free from dew or rain. Where part of a heavy 

 dew or rain is still on hay that was otherwise well cured there is great 

 danger of spontaneous combustion when large quantities are placed in the 

 mow or stack. If it does not actually burn, the middle of the mass will be 

 browned or charred so as to be unfit for sale. Stock will often eat such 

 hay greedily, but their desire for it is more in the nature of a desire for a 

 change of feed, and they will not do well when fed large quantities. 



