192 HOW TO MAKE THE FAEM FAY. 



three quarters; perennial rye grass, five to seven; wood 

 meadow grass, three and three quarters ; June or spear grass, 

 three and a quarter ; rough stalked meadow grass, three and 

 three quarters. 



ToF Dressing Grass Lands, is an approved, but not 

 sufficiently appreciated practice. A top dressing of wood 

 mould in the autumn, serves both as a mulch' and a manure, 

 and increases the yield of hay, A very interesting series of 

 experiments have been made at the Michigan State Agricultu- 

 ral College, by which it was ascertained that, 



2 bushels of plaster per acre gave an increase of 4153 lbs of hay. 



The soil was a light sandy loam. Estimating hay at fifteen 

 dollars a ton, twenty loads of muck are worth something over 

 twenty -five dollars, and three bushels of salt applied with it as 

 much more. Five bushels of ashes bring nearly thirty dollars. 

 We advise farmers to invest a few days' labor in the muck 

 svvam.p in the fall ; draw the muck on to the fields, and let the 

 frost crumble it ; spread in the spring, and add the salt. The 

 great object to be kept in view in 



Cutting and Curing hay is to have it as much like grass as 

 possible. This will depend both upon the time of cutting and 

 t!ie method of curing. The safest time to cut is just when in 

 full blossom. A small per centage in weight will be lost by 

 this early cutting, but it is gained in the aftermath. Timothy 

 should be cut about four inches high, or it will be killed out. 

 The various machines and tools for harvesting hay are fully 

 described in Chapter lY. Most hay is cured too much. We 



