CUTTING AND CURING HAY. 



135 



stock, and I believe tends to lessen the fermentation which always 

 occurs in hay when it is put in the barn, and so prevents danger of 

 mustiness. In this way the hay comes out as bright and green in 

 the winter or spring as when put into the mow. Formerly, when I 

 tilled very much more land than I do now, I had to stack most of the 

 hay, which I consider the best way to keep it; that is, in round 

 stacks, containing from ten to fifteen two-horse loads, placing it in 

 the mows being only a matter of convenience. A stack, when prop- 



FRAME FOE ROOF OF BARRACK. 



erly headed, thatched and roped, will keep for several years. A 

 very convenient way of stacking hay is under open sheds, commonly 

 known as barracks. These are made of four heavy posts, set in the 

 ground or framed together, and a movable, four-sided roof of boards 

 or thatch. The roof can be raised or lowered and let down upon the 

 hay, affording complete protection from the weather. In this 

 country, where stacking is not much practiced, it is not always 

 possible to find a workman or a farmer that can finish a stack so as 

 to make it rain-proof. 



BOARD ROOFED BARRACK. 



Q. At what height do you cut your hay ? 



A. The height at which it should be cut depends somewhat on the 

 moistness of the season. If the season is a wet one we can cut two 

 inches from the ground; if the weather is very dry, from three to four 

 inches. 



Q. I observe that you top dress with manure after cutting your 

 hay, particularly where it is cut short the object in that, I presume, 

 is to protect the roots of the grass from the sun, the manure acting 



