MEADOWS AND MAKING HAY. 429 



are carefully protected, there will be much loss. The 

 aim should be, therefore, to put these crops under cover, 

 when possible, and to protect the stacks carefully where 

 this cannot be done. 



What has been said about storing the grasses proper 

 will apply about equally to mixed grains, cut with the 

 mowers, and to millets except that these are more easily 

 injured by rain. But rain does not harm them as much 

 as clovers. Sorghum hay is more difficult to keep and 

 where it is groAvn, which is usually in rather dry cli- 

 mates, is frequently stored in quite small stacks from 

 which it is fed. 



In large ranches, especially in the West, native hay 

 from the sloughs and alfalfa from irrigated lands are 

 frequently drawn from the winrows on wide sweeps, 

 with one horse attached to each end. These load by 

 simply driving the horses for a short distance, one on 

 each side of the winrow. The load thus gathered is 

 drawn over the ground and deposited on the stacker, 

 which carries it up to the stack. Hay is rapidly stored 

 in this way, but such methods would be ill adapted to 

 stacking in wet climates, as they would 'result in the 

 spoiling of much of the hay. 



It is the practice with some to sow about a peck of 

 coarse common salt over each load of hay. They con- 

 tend that it tends to preserve hay, stored a little green, 

 and it does in some degree. They also claim that it 

 adds to the palatability of the hay and in some small 

 degree it does. Nevertheless, when the hay is properly 

 cured and stored, it is doubtful if the advantage will 

 cover the outlay for the application of salt. 



