1871] 



NEW ENGLAND FAR^klER. 



381 



at nine o'clock in the morning, 'if the day is fa- | 

 vorable. In the afternoon it is turned over 

 for the purpose of getting out what dew and 

 dampness may still remain. By that time the | 

 hay will be, not dried, but heated. It is then ; 

 put up as fast as possible, and if the prospect | 

 is that there will be a storm, the hay is carted 1 

 directly to the barn; if the weather is good it i 

 is allowed to stand in cock over night. The i 

 next day tlie cocks are inverted, and as soon \ 

 as the moisture collected in the bottom has | 

 evaporated, it is carted to the barn, and trod ; 

 in the mow as solid as possibK;. This will 

 come out in the winter as bright as wiien first 

 cut with the scythe. It is just right. If there 

 is no water in the hay, it may be put into as 

 large a mow as you please, and trod as hard 

 as you please, and it is perfectly safe. He 

 was then feeding hay put in the last season 

 when his neighbors thought him crazy, and 

 it was as perfect as it could be, and worth 

 twenty-frs-e per cent, more than that dried as 

 formerly. The top of the mow is never cov- 

 ered with refuse straw, and he has never lost 

 a pound. After the mass begins to sweat, 

 the top of the mow will be very wet, and per- 

 haps two or three inches will be a little col- 

 ored. He would have the grass nearly ma- 

 . ture before being cut — that is, it should be 

 cut as soon as the first blossom has disap- 

 peared. No care is taken to have a mow 

 completely filled at one time. He puts in as 

 much as possible each day, and if from any 

 cause several days intervene before more is 

 placed upon it, there is no harm conies from 

 it. Much importance is placed on packing it 

 well and treading it solid. 



At the same discussion, Mr. Rideout of 

 New Gloucester, said that five years ago he 

 built a new barn, and partitioned oil" bins on 

 the bay side and on the scaffold. As soon as 

 the dew was off in the morning the mower was 

 set to work. If any moisture remained on 

 the gi'ass when cut, it was turned over about 

 eleven o'clock ; if not, it lay undisturbed. 

 At two oV'lock, the horse-rake was set in, and 

 the teams set to hauling. All was in the barn 

 by four or five oY'lock. One day, eight acres 

 were cut and housed. Each bin was filled full 

 before another was begun, and trod as hard 

 as possible. No covering was used. Two 

 years ago, twenty-two loads were carted in 

 one afternoon. Two loads were put upon 

 the scaffold, and the remainder was put in the 

 bays and trod solid. That put in, the bays 

 came out as bright as when put in but that 

 upon the scalTold was not fit to be eaten. 



At the Farmers' Convention held at Far- 

 mington. Me., last January, Mr. F. V. Stewart 

 of that town was called upon and gave his 

 method of curing and housing hay. The 

 mowing machine is set to work as soon as 

 the dew is all dried off — say at nine o'clock in 

 the morning. By eleven o'clock as much is 

 cut as can be cured for that day. The grass 

 is allowed to remain just as the machine left 

 3 



it till one o'clock in the afternoon, when two 

 men are set to raking with hand rakes — the 

 grass being very stout and heavy. The load- 

 ers follow immediately after, taking it directly 

 to the barn. By five o'clock at latest all is 

 cleared up and snugly stored in the barn. All 

 the hay carted in one day is placed upon the 

 same mow, and if the mow is not filled in one 

 dny, the product of the next day's work is 

 stored upon it. In no case is hay stored on a 

 ]t.irlialiy filled mow after the process of 

 iieating and steaming has commenced. A 

 mow should be filled in two days. No par- 

 ticular pains is taken to pack it or tread it 

 solid. After a mow is filled, and before any 

 heat is genei-ated, old straw or hay is spread 

 over the top to the dejith of six or eight 

 inches for as many tons of hay, for a sweat 

 blanket to absorb the moisture. If a larger 

 amount of hay is stored in one mow then a 

 greater depth of straw must be used. Every 

 pound of the hay comes out in the winter 

 bright and fragrant as when put in, and is be- 

 lieved to be worth more than hay dried in the 

 common way. He has stored his hay in this 

 manner three years and has not had a single 

 pound injured. In order to have it save when 

 housed in so green a state, it is not necessary 

 that it be stored in a tight barn or in tight 

 bins, or that it be trod down air tight, as many 

 contend. There is no secret about it only to 

 have the water dried off in the field and tl)e 

 mow filled before any heat is generated. Mr. 

 Stewart showed specimens of hay taken from 

 the mow each year. The hay was perfeeily 

 cured, bright, and emitted that pleasant aroma 

 so inviting to cattle, and which is found only 

 in well cured hay. To the taste it gave that 

 sweet pungent ilavor never found in poor hay. 

 Evidently the specimens were not what would 

 be called early cut hay, but probably were cut 

 just as the grass went out of blossom. 



The gentleman who made th.e above state- 

 ments are men of good standing, well known 

 in the community, and any statements made 

 bv them are perfectly reliable. They take 

 great pleasure in showing their hay to any 

 one who wishes to examine it. z. .v. G. 



Androscogjin Co., Me., Jane 14, IdJl. 



WHAT IS 



HARVESTING 



For the N<'W England Farmer. 



THE BEST METHOD OP 

 COKW? 



There are at least three dillerent modes of 

 harvesting corn ; first, by cutting close to the 

 oTOund, placing in shooks until the husks and 

 stalks are sufficiently dry ; secondly, by top- 

 ping, — cutting the stalk off just above the ear, 

 leavino- the corn to stand tiius until the corn 's 

 thoroiighlv dried ; and thirdly, which is more 

 seldom" followed at the north, to leave the 

 whole growth of stalk with the corn to stand 

 until the corn is fit to harvest. 



Each method has its advocates, and each 

 considers his method superior for some reason, 



