HUNTERS 



constitutes, or ought to constitute, part of every 

 horseman's knowledge. Although many excel- 

 lent samples of hay come from abroad, it is a 

 difficult matter to find hay to supersede the 

 finest samples produced in Great Britain, the 

 best being that grown in England and Scotland. 

 In the latter, the crop remains out of doors 

 longer than in England, which is not an 

 advantage ; in fact, hay should not be left much 

 longer than three days before being carried, 

 though this is not always possible, owing to 

 unpropitious weather, &c. The principal con- 

 stituents of hay, being soluble in water, are 

 washed out by the rain, thus reducing its 

 nutritive value. It must be sufficiently dried 

 to prevent it from becoming overheated when 

 stacked. In the stack hay undergoes certain 

 fermentative changes, and if these are excessive, 

 it gets overheated, turns brown, and in advanced 

 cases, is reduced to nothing but charcoal, thus 

 rendering it absolutely useless for forage 

 purposes. 



The soil on which the hay is grown has an 

 important bearing on the quality of the hay, 

 and so has the length of time since it was cut. 



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