28 FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



In Europe, another method of curing hay which involves 

 much hand labor is employed. This consists in tying 

 the grass in sheaves after it has wilted one or two days. 

 The sheaves are bound near the top so that when the 

 cut ends are spread, they will stand alone. As these are 

 often blown down by the wind, it involves an excessive 

 amount of labor. Sometimes a number of sheaves are 

 tied together so as to form a hollow cone, or many may 

 thus be placed to form a rectangle with sloping sides and 

 open ends. Such structures do not blow down so readily, 

 but require much labor to set up. The sheaves are dried 

 out principally by the circulation of the air. 



In semi-arid regions immature wheat, barley and other 

 cereals are sometimes cut with a binder, and the bound 

 sheaves cure readily without further handling. 



22. Completion of curing. The stage at which curing 

 is complete enough to make it safe to stack or house the 

 hay is not easily determined. Where damage from 

 weather is feared, it is important to get the crop in as soon 

 as possible, especially in the case of legumes. A common 

 rule is to consider legumes safe to put in large cocks or 

 stacks when moisture can no longer be made to exude 

 from the stems by twisting them tightly. When hay is 

 stacked before thoroughly dry, it undergoes a process of 

 heating or sweating. Legumes heat much more than 

 grasses. Even when put in the mow at the stage indicated, 

 alfalfa and crimson clover may become about as hot as 

 the hand can bear. 



It is a common practice to sprinkle salt or lime over 

 each layer of hay which is thought to be insufficiently 

 cured. To what extent this may modify sweating and 

 subsequent moldiness is not well ascertained. 



Hay is safe to place in the barn when the moisture 



