DIFFERENT KINDS OF FOOD. 77 



bulk, owing to the amount of consolidation which has taken 

 place in the rick. 



The second or third cutting of hay is termed the "after- 

 math." It is greener than the first crop, softer, contains weeds 

 and roots, no flowering heads, and the aroma is less marked 

 than in good hay, even if well got ; but badly harvested it is 

 entirely destitute of perfume ; owing to the lateness of the crop 

 and the amount of moisture it contains, it is very difficult to 

 harvest properly ; as a rule it is only fit for cattle. When the 

 grass is cut, it should remain in the field as short a time as 

 possible ; as if left in the sun too long it loses its colour and 

 flavour, and becomes dried up ; the difference of an hour on a 

 hot day is said to occasion a loss of fifteen to twenty per cent, 

 in the hay. If exposed to rain, much of its valuable nutri- 

 ment is washed out of it. The peculiar aroma of hay is due 

 to a volatile compound, some say to the sweet-scented vernal 

 grass ; in badly saved hay this aroma is destroyed. 



In England the greatest care is exercised to preserve the 

 colour and aroma, and this is secured by repeated turning and 

 rapid drying ; in Scotland, where little natural hay is made 

 (that principally produced being from clover and rye grass), 

 less turning is done, the crop is allowed to remain a number of 

 days on the ground, and when gathered it does not ferment. 

 Consequently, Scotch hay bears an indifferent name. For the 

 same reasons, Irish hay is poor in quality ; even more so than 

 the Scotch, being left a longer time in the fields. 



When hay is stacked in large quantity, it undergoes a 

 certain amount of " heating," or fermentation, which improves 

 its flavour and nutritive qualities ; but if this heating is 

 carried beyond a certain point, it causes damage. Hay ricked 

 in a damp or wet state does not heat, but becomes mouldy and 

 rotten. A rick should remain untouched for one year. 



Hay may be badly harvested, dusty, mow-burnt, mouldy, 

 or musty. In badly harvested hay the damage may be slight, 



