LEGUMINOUS CROPS. 545 



should never be stacked in the open unless thatched or otherwise covered to 

 protect it from rain. Storing in sheds, besides being more convenient, has 

 the advantage that when baling or feeding no damage can be done to the 

 hay by rain or heat. Before building, a foundation of poles should be laid 

 down to give ventilation to the bottom of the stack ; if stacked on the 

 ground, some of the hay is sure to spoil. In building the stack, the centre 

 should be kept high, so that rain will not run in from the sides. 



Under some circumstances the hay is liable to become so heated in the 

 stack that firing occurs. In other cases heat is generated, but not sufficient 

 to cause firing, and the hay is only charred. As a rule, spontaneous com- 

 bustion is found to occur in hay which has been made from heavy, soppy 

 crops, especially if it is made when the weather is not suitable for drying. 

 Great difficulty is experienced in getting the moisture out of very green 

 lucerne, and even when the stuff is apparently dry, charring or combustion 

 may occur. When the crop is. very sappy, and the weather not favourable to 

 drying, the hay should be put up in narrow cocks, and left in the field until 

 no trace of moisture can be detected. As the first cut of the season is 

 generally rather sappy, extra care should be taken with it. 



Baling and Marketing. 



Although baling is sometimes done direct from the field, or very soon 

 after stacking, the practice is not the best. A certain amount of curing 

 takes place in the stack, the hay mellowing there before being baled. In 

 baling from the field care must be taken that the hay has time to sweat 

 before it is put into tightly-compressed bales ; otherwise rapid heating may 

 occur, and the slightest suspicion of heat will cause buyers to reject it. Of 

 late the old large-size bale has fallen into disfavour, and many buyers now 

 prefer a smaller-sized bale. 



It is to the farmer's own interest to put his product up in such a way that 

 it will command the best price, and it is absolutely certain that if he does 

 not send his produce to market in a proper condition a fair price will not 

 be realised. The keenness with which buyers note the different brands of 

 produce on the market is indicative of their desire to be sure of the quality 

 of the stuff they buy. Good known brands are snapped up readily because 

 they have been proved by experience. 



Brown Lucerne Hay. 



This is made either accidentally or by design. Sometimes, when it is 

 intended that dry green hay should be made, the crop is stacked while con- 

 taining slightly too much moisture, and the changes in the stack result in a 

 brown hay being formed. This is claimed by some to have certain advantages 

 over dry green hay. It is more succulent, freer from dust, and stock, in some 

 cases, showed a decided preference for it. Generally speaking, the price 

 obtained is slightly lower than that for prime green hay, but when the 

 sample is good the difference is not very marked. Probably brown hay would 

 be more largely made, especially for dairy cows, were it not for the greater 

 risk of loss by firing. The methods of cutting and curing are the same as in 

 making green hay, except that the hay is not allowed to become so dry in 

 the field. The risk of spontaneous combustion is therefore greater than in 

 the case of green hay, and experience is required to get brown hay. 



t 54797— S 



