HINTS ON HAYMAKING. 105 



quickly, nor must it be left too thin on the ground. Succulent 

 grass with large, solid stems full of moisture is least easy to turn 

 into hay, and is most liable to fire when ricked. The leaves and 

 smaller shoots become ready to carry before the succulent stems, 

 and this damper is often greatest in fine weather. Those who 

 have had experience with water-meadows are aware of the 

 extreme hazard of carrying hay from them too soon. An old 

 and safe test of fitness is to gather together a few of the stout 

 stems and twist them tightly into a rope. If moisture exudes, 

 tlie grass is not ready for the rick. Clover stems, Cow Grass 

 especially, also contain a large amount of moisture, and if ricked 

 too soon there is a risk of the heat rising injuriously. The 

 use of the haymaking machine must be avoided entirely when 

 clover forms a large proportion of the crop. 



Dry and benty grass which does not contain much clover 

 will almost 'make itself in fine w^eather, and but little fear 

 need be entertained that it will fire. Indeed, if the rick does not 

 heat somewhat the hay will be of inferior quality. 



Eicks may occasionally be seen standing on the bare ground 

 where floods are not unknown. It is unwise to erect them on such 

 spots, for they absorb moisture almost as readily as a lump of 

 sugar placed in water. Some injury will probably ensue from the 

 damp ground, and the wdiole bulk of hay may be made mouldy 

 by a flood. The use of stone or iron staddles will often pay in 

 a single year, and they render it safe to put hay into a rick 

 much earlier than where this means of bottom ventilation is 

 lacking. 



The best shape for a rick is square. A thin oblong form 

 exposes too large a surface to the atmosphere, and a very high- 

 pitched roof is objectionable on the same ground. The bottom 

 of the stack should be smaller than the eaves, so that rain falling 

 from the thatch will clear the sides of the rick. In building, the 

 centre should always be kept higher than the outside, and every 

 layer of grass must be firmly trodden down. The roof must be 

 steep enough to shoot off rain and snow, but it injures the upper 



