UIN0US ( HOPS. 



543 



as it doe6 when the cut has been made earlier. Secondly, loss occurs through 

 the greater time which the crop occupies lb* land. Lucerne only grows- 

 during the summer, and, provided rain is plentiful, good crops can be 

 obtained at frequent intervals. If the average time for a cut of lucerne be 

 taken at six weeks, and live cuts are obtained in a season of thirty weeks, 

 it means that if each cut is allowed to stand seven weeks, only four cuts can 

 be obtained, which means an actual loss of 15 ewt. to 1 ton of hay per acre 

 per annum. 



It usually happens that owing to the cool weather the first growth of the 

 season is late in flowering, and the leaves begin to drop and the stems to- 

 harden before the bloom appears. The crop should be carefully watched and 

 the cutting made when the lower leaves begin to change their colour. 



Cutting is done with the mower or scythe. A time should be selected 

 vhen the crop is at the right stage, and when there is a prospect of fine 

 weather lasting until curing is completed. Showery or cloudy weather ren- 

 ders curing difficult, and hay of the best quality cannot be made. The usual 

 practice is to start the mower going in the morning as early as possible, but 

 if a heavy dew is on the crop, cutting should be deferred until it has evapo- 

 rated. External moisture, owing either to rain or dew, is objectionable, and 

 causes deterioratien in the quality. 



Handling the Crop in the Field. 



If the day continues fine the rake should be started about midday, so that 

 the cut crop will be raked into the windrows before nightfall. Hay should 

 not be allowed to lie in the swath too long, especially in hot, scorching 

 weather, when it should be put into the windrows almost immediately after 

 cutting. The heat causes rapid drying of the tender leaves, and these 



fl iflk 



;rne, Wagga Experiment Farm. 



become quite dry, while the stems are still sappy. When the hay gets into 

 this condition in the swath, a large amount of the leaf will shake off when 

 raking into the windrows, and in cocking. In good hay the quantity of leaf 

 ranges from 45 to 50 per cent., and as it is considerably richer than the 

 stems in nutriment, a very serious loss in both quality and quantity ma;r 

 occur through careless handling. 



