148 SKETCHES OF RURAL AFFAIRS. 



until the sward underneath is completely destroyed, and 

 until the bottom part of the hay itself has become 

 mouldy, and some of it rotten. Nor is this the whole 

 of the evil ; for the hay, when stacked, acquires a 

 musty smell, and does not possess that refreshing fra- 

 grance so acceptable to cattle. The excuse made by 

 the Irish farmers for this apparent neglect is, that the 

 richness of the grass makes it liable to a high degree 

 of fermentation, and therefore renders it dangerous to 

 stack it too soon. But it would appear that a little 

 more diligence in tedding the hay would remove all 

 danger, and be a great saving and improvement of the 

 crop. 



In some parts of England, as on our eastern coast, 

 hay-making is deferred, not through any neglect or 

 mismanagement, but on account of the greater back- 

 wardness of the crops in such exposed situations. It is 

 a trial of patience to see the crop retarded, or the hay 

 spoiling for want of favourable weather; but this is 

 with us only an occasional evil, and therefore not so 

 bad as the condition of things in Sweden, and even in 

 the western islands of Scotland. On many of the grass- 

 farms in the Hebrides the hay cannot be dried at all 

 without hanging it on trees and shrubs, or on some 

 kind of frame-work, -where it may be exposed to the full 

 influence of the air. The same method is often needed 

 for the corn in those islands. In Helsingheland there 

 is a machine, called a hassior, in common use for drying 

 hay and corn. This consists of upright beams with 

 cross bars passing through them. A bed of hay is 

 first spread on the lowest bar, which is a little raised 

 above the ground. A second bar is then pressed down 

 upon it to keep it hi its place, and also to form the sup- 

 port to another bed of hay. A third bar is placed on 

 this, and so on until a convenient quantity is collected, 

 when the whole is covered with straw. In this state 

 the hay is sometimes allowed to remain until the begin- 

 ning of winter. 



