FOOD. 31 



horses eat this cured hay with great relish. In 

 making up the stack, a bundle or two of straw, put 

 on end from the bottom upwards, should be built 

 into the centre of it as it is being raised up, to act 

 as a chimney or ventilator to carry off the heat 

 while the stack is fermenting. If this is not done, 

 there is danger of its catching fire ; and even if it 

 should not heat to such a degree, part is likely to 

 get discoloured — what is termed " mow-burned." 

 This chimney can be made with bundles of sticks, 

 boards, or even stones ; but sick horses will often eat 

 the straw from the centre of a haystack when they 

 won't look at anything else, and it sometimes comes 

 in useful, and in any event, is not wasted. The 

 stack should be built on a foundation of brambles, 

 stones, or a mud platform — the latter being the 

 best — to raise it and protect it from damage by the 

 rains, which at times come in a regular flood, and 

 also to keep out rats, mice, and other vermin. When 

 the stack gets down to the bottom, care should be 

 exercised in handling it, as it is a great refuge for 

 snakes, and I have seen one fatal accident from 

 snake bite from this cause. It, then, is a good plan 

 to make the men remove the hay in small quantities 

 at a time with a hay-fork, which is easily made by 

 fastening a couple of short sticks converging from 



