GRASS AXD HAY 185 



often lowered when it is stacked opt in the open. Considerable hay 

 is often entirely spoiled so that it is unfit for feeding. The amount 

 of spoiled and damaged hay depends upon the time the stack stands 

 and upon the method of stacking. In Virginia a 6 to 8 ton stack of 

 timothy hay, after it has gone through the sweat, or in three or four 

 weeks, will have from 300 to 600 pounds of damaged hay. Most of 

 this will be on the top and only a small portion on the sides and 

 the bottom. 



The market value of hay is ftwraently lowered because this 

 stained hay is worked into the bales. It may happen that the spoiled 

 hay will be no more than a couple of handfuls, which amount is 

 really insignificant, but the inspector can not tell how much the bale 

 contains, so he is forced to grade it one or two grades lower. This 

 causes quite a loss to those who sell hay. In Iowa and surrounding 

 States considerable hay is stacked in the field, and the loss due to 

 stacking is not thought to be enough to warrant the building of a 

 barn for hay only. 



In 1907 experiments were carried on in Missouri to determine 

 what the loss would be when timothy remained in the stack for sev- 

 eral months. The hay was hauled with a wagon and pitched on the 

 stack by hand, one man doing the building or stacking. Two stacks 

 were put up in 1907 under conditions that would compare favor- 

 ably with those of the average farm in this section. The first stack 

 was baled the latter part of December. In order to find out the loss 

 of hay at market prices it was decided to put as nearly as possible 

 only one kind of nay into a bale. 



When hay is baled by the ton it is customary for the crew to 

 throw out the spoiled hay from the top of the stack. If the sides are 

 badly spoiled, all that can be removed easily with a fork is also 

 thrown out. The balance is baled with the good hay, which result* 

 in there usually being several grades in a bale. 



In this experiment the sides were raked off very carefully with 

 a garden rake and all bad spots were cut out with a hay knife. When 

 the baling was finished there were two grades instead of several, as is 

 often the case. These grades were a fair No. 1, and a <r No-grade" 

 hay, there being 13,990 pounds of the former and 2,870 pounds of 

 the latter, which made the loss of unsalable hav amount to nearly 20 

 per cent. The second stack was baled the following March and the 

 loss amounted to a little over 40 per cent. 



The reason why the loss seemed so large was because nothing 

 but the good hay was baled. Of course in raking out the spoiled hay 

 a little good hay was lo?t, but the amount was insignificant. Had 

 the badly stained hay been baled with the good, as is often done, the 

 loss in pounds woulcl have been less, but hay baled in this manner 

 would have brought less total profit than was received by baling 

 only the good hay. The reason for this, as stated previously. i> be- 

 cause the presence of any stained or spoiled hay on the outride of the 

 bale, even though it be a small amount, causes the buyer to become 

 suspicious and think that the hay is "sandwiched." Had the stacks 

 been put up by the use of sweep rakes and stacking machine*, the 



