$34 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK ix. 



when it is thus insufficiently made, it generally heats too much, some- 

 times becomes mow-burnt, and in other cases, although such are very 

 rarely met with, spontaneous ignition takes place." 



Since Middleton wrote the foregoing very accurate description of 

 hay-making in Middlesex in the last century many new implements and 

 machines have heen invented to lessen the amount of manual labour 

 required in the hay-field. It is doubtful, however, if there is any im- 

 provement in the quality of the hay, inasmuch as the methods which he 

 recorded were perfect, and though machinery had very little place in the 

 haj'field until the last quarter of a century no improvements were made 

 in the meantime. In fact, where machinery is not freely used in that 

 county, the process, as described by Middleton, is almost identical to 

 this day, and it is quite safe to say that no finer hay is made under 

 any circumstances. The mowing-machine has greatly superseded the 

 scythe, and the large gangs of men who might have been seen tramping 

 from the Midland counties to the "hay-country" (as the grass districts 

 of Middlesex, Herts, and Essex were, and still are, called), with a 

 scythe and fork over their shoulders, twenty j^ears ago, have dis- 

 appeared, and it would be almost impossible to obtain the hands re- 

 quired for the thorough working which the grass was subjected to under 

 the system in vogue at that time. The general opinion as to the effect 

 of the mode of cutting on the turf itself is that much less damage is 

 done where the grass is cut off with the sharp edge of the scythe, than 

 when parti}' crushed as well as cut by the machine ; for this reason 

 there are many who still spare no pains to secure sufficient scythemen 

 to cut their grass. 



The course pursued in making the best hay by means of the machinery 

 now available is to cut it with the mower, and to keep the tedding- 

 machine, or haymaker, at work immediately behind it, so that the cut 

 herbage may at once be subjected to the influence of sun and wind. 

 Should the atmosphere be very drying the material tedded in the early 

 morning should be tedded again in the afternoon. On the second day 

 an endeavour should be made to get it " in hand," that is, in such 

 form that at the appearance of rain it may rapidly be run up into large 

 cocks, in which it is safe. We are assuming that the process is carried 

 out as far as possible by machinery, therefore the first operation will 

 be to horse-rake it into rows, and the tedder should be set to work 

 along the rows so as to throw them out into beds about 4 yards wide. 

 From time to time the tedder should be made to repeat the operation, 

 until the approach of evening, when the beds must be hacked into 

 rows, and then run up into large cocks. 



There are two important reasons for getting the grass into cocks : 

 the first, to prevent injury from rain, and the second, to give the 

 ground an opportunity to dry. It is impossible to make hay rapidly, 

 or free from mouldy pieces, if the ground is not dry, and when the 

 grass lies out over the entire area of the ground moisture is retained 

 on the surface. Whilst the hay is being put into cocks, the horse-rake 

 should be at work behind the men who are building them up, so that 



