190 



HAY 



HAY 



to the danger of getting rain, and 

 thus runs a great risk of being good 

 for little, I make it a general rule, 

 if possible, never to cut my hay but 

 when the grass is quite dry ; and 

 then make the gatherers follow 

 close upon the cutters, putting it 

 up immediately into small cocks, 

 about three feet high each when 

 new put up ; always giving each 

 of them a slight kind of thatching, 

 by drawing a few handfuls of the 

 hay from the bottom of the cock 

 all around, and laying it lightly on 

 the top, with one of ttie ends hang- 

 ing downwards. This is done with 

 the utmost ease and expedition ; 

 and when it is once in that state, I 

 consider my hay as in a great mea- 

 sure out of danger; for unless a 

 violent wind should arise, immedi- 

 ately after the cocks are put up, so 

 as to overturn them, nothit)g else 

 can hurt the hay ; as I have often 

 experienced that no rain, however 

 violent, ever penetrates into these 

 cocks but for a very little way. — 

 And, if they are dry put up, they 

 never sit together so closely as to 

 heat ; although they acquire in a 

 day or two, such a degree of firm- 

 ness, as to be in no danger of be- 

 ing overturned by wind after that 

 time, unless it blows a hurricane. 



" In these cocks I allow the hay 

 to remain, until, upon inspection, 

 I judge that it will keep in pretty 

 large tramp cocks, &c. The ad- 

 vantages that attend this method 

 are, that it greatly abridges the la- 

 bour, that it allows the hay to con- 

 tinue almost as green as when it is 

 cut, and preserves its natural jui- 

 ces in the greatest perfection. For 

 it is dried in the most slow and 



equal manner that can be desired. 

 Lastly, that it is thus in a great mea- 

 sure secured from almost the possi- 

 bility of being damaged by rain." 

 Essai/s on Agriculture. 



Clover is a sort of hay that re» 

 quires a critical attention in curing : 

 Because, though the stalks need 

 much drying, the leaves and heads 

 will bear but little without wasting. 

 It is best to rake it towards night, 

 when the dampness of evening be- 

 gins to come on ; open it the next 

 day, and never stir it much when 

 there is danger of its crumbling. 



Clover, requiring so long a time 

 to dry, and its stalks being so suc- 

 culent that the leaves, which are 

 the best part, will crumble before 

 the hay is sufficiently dried, it has 

 been found expedient to cart it in 

 before the stalks are dry, and ei- 

 ther to put it up with alternate 

 layers of straw, or to salt it at the 

 rate of from one half to one bushel 

 of salt to the ton. 



Salt hay, in this country, has 

 usually been hurt by lying too long 

 in the swarths. The method in 

 which I have treated it for several 

 years, is, to cock it the next day 

 after it is cut, and carry it in, with- 

 out delaying more than one day, 

 and put a layer of some kind of dry 

 straw between load and load of it, 

 in the mow, to prevent its taking 

 damage by over-heating. The 

 straw contracts so much of its 

 moisture and saltness, that the cat- 

 tle will eat it very freely ; and the 

 hay is far better than that made in 

 the common way. 



If this hay be permitted to lie 

 out in rains, the saltness of it will 

 be diminished, which they who 



