HAYSAVINC AND HAYIMAKING 47 



one, at a cost of not much more than an ordinary 

 swathe turner or horse rake. 



Sometimes, if the weather is exceptionally good and 

 other work permits, we make a short circuit and cart 

 the stuff direct from the windrow into the stack, 

 gathering it into heaps with the little hay slide — 3. most 

 admirable little tool costing only about 40s. 



Again, it may happen that just before we reach the 

 gathering-in stage the weather may show signs of rain. 

 In these circumstances smaller pikes of about i cwt. or 

 so are made, topped, and raked off so as to turn rain. 



Then, assume rain does fall. Later, when the out- 

 side has dried off and the ground has dried, the bottoms 

 of these pikes or quills are exposed to sun and wind. 

 This is done with the hand forks. Later, these are 

 run together, again with the slide rake, into the larger 

 cocks previously mentioned. 



Suppose, after getting a considerable amount cut, 

 continuous wet weather follows. Well, for the first few 

 days no great harm will result, as, when in the un- 

 disturbed swathe, hay can stand a considerable 

 amount of rain. Later, however, especially in catchy 

 weather — the sort described by the Kerryman as 

 " raining with showers in between " — ^the underside of 

 the swathe begins to ferment, and, later, turns mouldy. 



Now, every farmer must have observed that a 

 dairymaid always hangs. up her utensils in the fresh 

 air, to keep them sweet. Fresh air is a great sweetener, 

 preventing the growth of the micro-organisms which 

 cause ferments. 



So, taking a tip from the dairymaid, the right thing 

 to do with a fermenting hay crop is to expose it to the 

 fresh air, no matter what the weather is like, unless 

 it is actually raining. 



This I have done successfully in very damp weather 

 —in between the showers — ^and, of course, a quick- 



