CLOVER CULTURE. 83 



the other hand, it must be remembered that the damage to 

 clover whether in the stack or barn comes nearly always from 

 the outside moisture, whether in the form of rain or dew or ab- 

 sorbed from an atmosphere loaded with moisture. We do not 

 undertake to explain why it is that the juices of the plant are 

 comparatively harmless even when somewhat in excess, but 

 such we take to be the fact. 



With these preliminary statements we are prepared to 

 describe what we regard as the best practical method of man- 

 aging clover, cut in its best condition and under circumstances 

 prevalent on the average western farm. The mowing should 

 be done as far as possible in the evening, say after four o'clock. 

 A wide-cut mower, say six or seven feet, will enable the op- 

 erator to cut down a comparatively large acreage, and especially 

 if he runs the machine quite late in the evening. The time 

 of the man, team and mower is worth a great deal more an 

 hour after sundown than in the heat of the day. Clover is 

 not damaged in the least by being cut with the dew on or 

 slightly wet and the heat of the sun from four until six is sel- 

 dom sufficient to render clover cut during these hours liable 

 to damage even if wet with dew or rain in the night. The 

 first work in the early morning should be to start the tedder, 

 one wide enough to take two swaths, and drawn by a span of 

 fast-walking horses. The more directly upwards the tedder 

 tosses the hay, the better. This shakes off dew or rain, and 

 leaves the mass in the best possible shape for the circulation 

 of the air and most exposed to the action of the sun. A good 

 tedder with a team of this kind can cover a large amount of 

 ground in a few hours, and by repeating the operation, in 

 good weather, clover can be fit to go into the barn in the 

 afternoon. 



We cannot describe in words the amount of dryness neces- 

 sary for safety in storing hay. This can be learned only by 

 experience. When a stem of hay is taken in the hand and 

 tightly twisted and no moisture is observed on the outside of 

 the stalk, it is generally safe to store it. This, however, is 

 conditioned somewhat upon the amount of moisture in the 

 atmosphere, and only experience can tell the exact ideal con- 

 dition. This condition being attained, in the best judgment 

 of the manager, the work of storing away should be done as 

 quickly as possible. It is here that the hay loader becomes 

 valuable, inasmuch as with a good loader a ton can be placed 

 on the wagon in from fifteen to twenty minutes and removed 

 in much less time with a horse fork and hay sling. By this 



