1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



381 



mowers, so that each person should be the better 

 able to judge which of them, on the whole, would 

 be best adapted to his own work. At this time, 

 when the sons of our farmers and so many of the 

 constantly diminishing number of good mowers 

 have thrown aside farming implements for the ri- 

 fle and the bayonet, these mowing machines are 

 becoming a necessity ; and the great question is, 

 Which shall I buy ? 



The Committee regret that they had not the 

 means of measuring accurately by the dynamom- 

 eter the draught of the different mowers. That 

 would have settled one important point. They 

 were unanimous that the work was all well done. 

 And every farmer present, who owns only one 

 horse of nearly 1000 pounds weight, might have 

 been satisfied that with one of these machines he 

 can do his own mowing well. 



Chairman of the Committee. 



Haverhill, June 27, 1862. 



HAYING. 



The farmer is now in the midst of the hapng 

 season, when he is to cut and secure one of the 

 most important crops of the farm. In conse- 

 quence of the late rains in this region, farmers 

 did not commence haying as soon as has been 

 customary into ten or twelve days. Much of the 

 month of May was dry, so that the grass crop 

 was retarded in its growth, and since July came 

 in, has been in a condition to be greatly benefited 

 by the warm and frequent rains. The middle of 

 July, therefore, finds us only fairly engaged in the 

 great work. 



Farmers, generally, do not now feel that they 

 are obliged to commence cutting their grass much 

 before it is in its best condition. Previous to the 

 days of mowing machines, they began early, 

 though the grass might not be in blossom, lest 

 they should not get thi'ough before some of it had 

 gone to seed- With the aid of mowing machines, 

 there is little danger of this result now, — and this 

 is one of the advantages which they confer. With 

 a good macliine, as much grass may be cut in two 

 or three hours in the evening, or in the morning, 

 as several hands can take care of for a day follow- 

 ing. It will be spread as it is cut, and ready for 

 the sun. 



Good farmers diflfer in opinion as to the best 

 mode of curing hay. The practice many years 

 ago was to expose it two days to an intense sun, 

 the hotter the better. Under this treatment the 

 hay became nearly as brittle as glass, and a large 

 proportion of its nutritious properties were wast- 

 ed. It would certainly keep well in the barn, for 

 there were not juices enough left to get up a sweat, 

 and produce mould and fermentation. But it was 

 hard and glassy, and in our judgment, much less 

 valuable than if it had been cured more in the 

 shade. 



To accomplish this, the grass should be cut and 



evenly spread, and when thoroughly wilted — not 

 dried — thrown into cocks and covered with caps, 

 where it will lay, safely, from thirty-six hours to 

 three or four days, according to the state of the 

 weather. K the weather is clear and hot, on re- 

 moving the caps, the top of the cock, say a fourth 

 part of it, will be found well cured, and sufficient- 

 ly dry to go into the barn, which is evidence that 

 the process of curing goes on rapidly while the 

 hay is in this condition. But it is well to throw 

 the cocks open, admit the sun and air to every 

 part of it for an hour or two, turning it upside 

 down if necessary, and then it will be in excellent 

 condition to go in. If the weather is cloudy and 

 damp, or stormy, it is usually sufficiently cool to 

 prevent heating, for three or four days, and dur- 

 ing that time the hay will become so much made 

 as to require but little sun and air afterward. 



Grass cured in this way is not brittle, but flex- 

 ible, is aromatic, has a lively gi'eenish color, and 

 retains most of its nutritious properties. Stock 

 will eat good grass thus cured with avidity, and 

 will produce a good flow of milk, or lay on fat or 

 flesh, without the use of grain. We do not mean 

 to say, however, that it is best always to leave hay 

 out three or four days, — but that it is better to 

 cure it partly in the cock than to expose it two 

 entire days to the sun. 



CLOVER HAY. 



Clover hay should be cut late in the afternoon, 

 or early in the morning of a clear day. Let it lie 

 without disturbing it until about two o'clock, and 

 then gather it into cocks with a fork, and cover it 

 Avith caps. It should then be left in this condi- 

 tion for two days, when the cocks should be 

 thrown open for an hour or two, and it will usual- 

 ly be found in fine condition to be housed. U»- 

 der this process the leaves and blossoms will re- 

 tain so much of their juices as to adhere to the 

 stem, so that very few of them will be found upon 

 the bottom of the hay cart upon unloading it. 

 The stems will also be juicy, sweet, nutritious, 

 and easy to masticate by the animal using them. 

 Such hay we consider more valuable than any 

 other that we secure, and we hope hereafter to see 

 it take the place of half the fields now devoted to 

 other grasses. 



SALT ON HAY. 



Many persons practice adding salt to hay as it 

 is stowed away in the bay or upon the scaffold. 

 The practice is a good one when the salt is used 

 moderately — but in such quantities as some apply, 

 we think it must be injurious to both hay and 

 the stock that consumes it. Some farmers have 

 told us that they use half a bushel to a ton of 

 hay when they feci obliged to get it in before it is 

 sufficiently cured ! Such fodder as this would 

 make, ought to be reported in the price current 



