IIAY 



HAY 



EnsJand as a hedge plant ; with prop- 

 er trimming it forms a dense growth, 

 and its thorns protect the plant from 

 destruction by cattle. The seeds of 

 the previous year are kept in wet 

 sand during the winter, and sown in 

 spring in drills in a light soil to pro- 

 cure plants. Tlie seedlings may be 

 set out in two years, and by a little 

 care will form a hedge in three to 

 five more. Many native thorns would 

 answer equally well. 



HAY. Grass or clovers cut and 

 cured for cattle. Well-cured meadow 

 hay, seasoned with one peck of salt 

 to the load, is the standard of fodder 

 for cattle and horses ; about 30 lbs. 

 daily is allowed as suitable' food for 

 a horse or ox in work. Boussin- 

 gault found that the average amount 

 of flesh-making food in good meadow 

 hay was 7 per cent., but that after- 

 math sometimes contained as much 

 as 12, and hay from wet places as 

 little as 6 per cent. There is a prej- 

 udice against after-math, probably ari- 

 sing from its being cured in an infe- 

 rior manner to grass of the first crop. 

 Mow-burned hay is pecuharly inju- 

 rious to horses. 



It is the result of the experience 

 of many French farmers that grass 

 and clover are much more nutritious 

 when given in the green state than 

 \\ hen dry, if the same amount of food 

 be contamed in both parcels, or omit- 

 ting the water. The conversion of 

 these and other herbs into hay is at- 

 tended with a fermentation which 

 reduces the amount of^ flesh substance 

 they contain. 



Horses require as much water as 

 hay when fed on it only ; but the prac- 

 tice is beginning to be extended of 

 steeping the hay in water for an hour 

 liefore feeding, by which animals are 

 induced to feed much cleaner. Hai/ 

 tea is made by introducing the hay 

 into hot or boiling water, but this 

 does not seem to be better than mere- 

 ly saturating it with fluid by steeping, 

 and giving the water, as well as the 

 hay, to the animals. 



Large quantities of hay are shipped 

 from the Northern and Northwestern 

 States for the South ; it is pressed by 

 Hh 



screws into trusses, and bound with 

 cords and slips of wood. 



HAY-MAKING. The first point 

 IS the proper season to cut the grass 

 or clover ; this would seem, in the 

 case of some grasses, to be a doubt- 

 ful question, as the quantity is very 

 much increased when the crop is in 

 seed ; but usually the rule is to cut 

 when in full flower; by this means 

 more and better hay is obtained, and 

 the soil is less exhausted. 



There are two ways of making hay : 

 1st. By laying the swath to dry thor- 

 oughly, turning it during the day, or 

 even tedding or spreading it abroad 

 thinly. This is, towards evening, 

 collected in small cocks ; these are 

 spread out the next day into wind- 

 rows and turned, again put up into 

 larger cocks towards night, and ex- 

 posed the third day before being ta- 

 ken to the mow or stack. By this 

 means the grass is thoroughly dried, 

 but the plan is very tedious and un- 

 successful where succulent plants 

 like clover are to be made into hay. 



The second and approved plan is to 

 allow the swath to be turned and 

 withered, piling the grass, &c., in 

 smaU cocks of 200 lbs. by midday, if 

 cut before breakfast ; in this situa- 

 tion a sweating process or fermenta- 

 tion occurs, attended by heat and an 

 exudation of moisture, which tends 

 to cure the hay rapidly. The next 

 morning, the cocks should be exam- 

 ined, and if the heat is abated the 

 grass may be tedded for a short time, 

 and carried to the stack or barn by 

 noon. It is here to be stacked with 

 from one to three pecks of salt to the 

 ton, will heat again slightly, but, if not 

 too green, cures beautifully, alfording 

 very fine hay. Some farmers prefer 

 putting it in stack with strata of good 

 straw, especially in the case of clo- 

 ver ; heat is thus avoided and the 

 straw enriched as food ; it also saves 

 some of the salt. 



By this process, broad-cast corn 

 and other green, succulent stems can 

 be cured, if sufficient time be given 

 them to sweat. 



Hay is often put up into tempora- 

 ry stacks, and removed after a few 



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