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FOR BETTER CROPS 



to assume a yellaw tint. Cut earlier, it will be lacking in bulk; 

 later, it will shed seeds freely. 



The implements for cutting hay are the mower and the 

 binder. The implements for curing- are the tedder and the horse- 

 rake. The implements for storing are the wagon, hay loader, 

 hay sweep or bull rake, the horse fork, the sling, and the stacker. 

 The binder is only used for cutting grains for hay alone or 

 mixed sorghum, kafifir corn, and millet. But in some instances 

 these are also cut with the mower. When cut with the binder, 

 the sheaves should be small and rather loosely bound to prevent 

 them from moulding underneath the band in the airing process. 



Alfalfa and clover are cured by the same method in climates 

 possessed of normal rainfall. When cut with the mower, the 



The hay baler 



hay lies on the ground until it is ready for being raked. This 

 can be told by the ease with which it can be raked clean into 

 windrows. When too green for being drawn together, bunches of 

 the hay will fall back from the ends of the rake and it will draw 

 heavily. The drying will be greatly facilitated by running the 

 tedder over the field once or twice within a few hours of the 

 cutting of the crop, or at least the same day when the hay is 

 cut early in the day. The side delivery rake aids in the quick 

 drying of the crop. If kept unraked until browned with the 

 sun, the loss of leaves and of palatability is considerable, espe- 

 cially in the case of alfalfa. 



As soon as raked, the hay should be put up in cocks, not wide, 

 but reasonably high to complete the curing. In the cocks the 

 hay sweats, and usually requires two days to complete the 



