CUTTING GRASS EARLY. 235 



I used to make the same mistake that almost everybody docs. 

 I did not begin to cut my grass until my first field was ripe, and 

 the consequence was, when I ended, my last grass was spoiled ; 

 which is the case with a great many farmers. It is important 

 to cut all the grass when it is in good condition, and the only 

 way we can get along with it is to cut the first too early. I 

 watched my grass this year daily, and I came to the conclusion 

 that if I had cut it all on the 15th day of June it would have 

 been worth more money to me than if cut later. I began about 

 the 13th of June and finished on the 3d of July. I cut my 

 herds'-grass before it had shown a blossom, and I should be 

 willing to put that hay before cattle by the side of any other 

 hay, and if they did not choose mine in preference to any 

 other I should be very much mistaken. 



Then there is another thing to be considered. You get a 

 second crop, which is large and of equally good quality. It 

 does not disturb the digestion of animals, as rowen often does, 

 and certainly two crops are worth more than any one crop that 

 can be got off the land. The effect of this upon cattle is just 

 like grass. It is dried grass ; it is not chips and shavings, as 

 a great part of our hay is. A great proportion of it is soluble, 

 and animals thrive well upon it. It takes less to keep them ; 

 they will give more milk, make better looking butter, and more 

 of it. 



I merely wished to throw out this idea that gentlemen who 

 are investigating this subject may experiment upon it. Such 

 hay will do for horses, I think, better than later cut hay. It 

 will not do to take a horse off of fine chips and put him on early 

 cut hay at once ; it will scour him ; but a horse that is used to 

 this kind of hay will thrive on a less quantity than otherwise. 

 I have two horses now which have been kept for some years 

 upon six quarts of meal and pretty late hay. It required that 

 amount to keep them in condition. I now give them only two 

 quarts of meal, (and have given them only that quantity for the 

 last year and a half,) in combination with hay that I cut early, 

 and they are in better condition than they were two, three or 

 four years ago. I consider them as good arguments as I can 

 produce. They certainly thrive better on two quarts of meal 

 and. the hay they get now than they did formerly upon six 

 quarts of meal and late cut hay. 



