18 FARMERS' BULLETIN 820. 



The hay collected for the above analyses represented the first cut- 

 ting the second season. The plants had made a 30 to 36 inch growth 

 at the time of cutting. It will be seen that the protein content of 

 the leaves is almost three times as great as that of the stems. 



In the drier sections of the country or when the first crop of the 

 year of seeding is cut for hay in the North-Central States the mower 

 may be started in the morning as soon as the dew is off. The hay 

 should remain in the swath until the following day, or until it is 

 well wilted, when it should be raked into small windrows. After 

 remaining in the windrows for a day it may be placed in small cocks 

 to cure. Cocks made from hay which has dried to this stage will 

 not shed water well and therefore should be covered if it is likely 

 to rain. It is important that the cocks be made small enough to be 



FIG. 8. Sweet clover curing in the cock. 



thrown on the rack entire, as many leaves will be lost if it is neces- 

 sary to tear them apart. 



When sweet clover is permitted to dry in the swath, a large per- 

 centage of the leaves will be lost in windrowing and loading unless 

 handled with the utmost care. Hay in this condition should never 

 be raked while perfectly dry and brittle, but should be raked into 

 the windrow in the early morning or in the evening, when it is 

 slightly damp from dew. It may then be hauled to the barn or stack 

 after remaining in the windrow for a day. 



One of the most successful methods for handling sweet-clover hay, 

 especially in regions where rains are likely to occur at haying time, 

 is to permit the plants to remain in the swath until they are well 

 wilted or just before the leaves begin to cure. The hay should then 

 be raked into windrows and cocked at once (fig. 8). The cocks 



