LUCERNE HAY. 65 



your stack, and save you from colouring the hay too dark. Good 

 hay must be light chocolate in colour, with a good odour. 



The proper time for sweating hay in a stack of the dimensions 

 .given should be two months. This is to bring it to hay. By 

 leaving it longer it still improves up to six months. 



Hay stacked and sweated as recommended above may safely be 

 pressed into bales 3 feet by 16 inches to any weight required for 

 export, or for packing away in stores. This class of hay will keep 

 perfectly sweet and good for years. 



Following are the results of lucerne only one month in the 

 stack, and then pressed into bales of five different weights : First 

 bale 80 Ibs., second bale 90 Ibs., third bale 100 Ibs, fourth bale 

 120 Ibs., fifth bale 130 Ibs. The first two bales did not get mouldy, 

 but did not have the odour of good hay : the third bale smelt 

 tainted ; the fourth and fifth bales were both musty after they had 

 been pressed nine days ; the size of bales was 3 feet by 16 inches. 

 Lucerne sweated to this stage should not be pressed into bales over 

 75 Ibs. 



Following was the result of lucerne unsweated, pressed and 

 packed away under sail for ten days almost air-tight : Bales 

 averaging 100 Its. (size of bales 3 feet by 16 inches), then exposed 

 for one week. On opening them found from the end to six inches 

 in it looked green and fresh, but when opened to the centre it was 

 mouldy. This trial was made in view of export. The above trials 

 show that that hay must be thoroughly cured to be safe for export. 



HAY AS FEED. 



For feeding horses, we find that horses work much better on 

 sweated hay. They eat it very freely, there is no waste, and they 

 thrive much better and do with less water. 



For feeding cows in milk, dried unsweated lucerne is almost 

 .preferable for making butter ; it answers almost to green fodder. 

 It should be cut a little younger for cows than for horses ; if baled 

 it should not be pressed heavier than 70 Ibs. Calves thrive on 

 sweated hay if not cut too old. In no case must it be made wet 

 .before feeding either for cows or calves, or the result might prove 

 serious, as wetting creates gas and blows up the animal. Should 

 .any animal blow up. put a piece of chain about six links to form a 

 bit and fasten it on to a halter ; put it into the animal's mouth ; 

 this will keep the mouth sufficiently open to let the gas escape. 

 A piece of ordinary trek chain will do. 



DRIED LUCERNE FOR OSTRICHES. 



This must be cut, just before it comes into flower ; this will 

 give you soft leafy fodder. When dried it will shrink very much. 

 It should b? rather dry before putting into stack. Cutting out of 

 ,st;i;"k to feed birds, it should be cut up wi'h chaff-cutter and put 



