83 



\vliich was last night in bastard cocks may be carried 

 now into the haggard; but if the leather should 

 have been cool and cloudy, no jjart of it will proba- 

 bly be fit for the rick. In that case, the first thing 

 to do after (Unuer is to rake that which was in grass 

 cocks last night into double wind-roM's ; then the grass 

 wliich this morning was sjn-ead from the swaths, into 

 single wind-rows ; after this, the hay which was last 

 night in bastard cocks should be made up into full 

 sized cocks, and care taken to rake up the hay clean, 

 and also to put the rakings upon the top of each 

 cock. Next, the double wind-rows are to be put 

 into bastard cocks, and the single wind-rows into 

 grass cocks, as on the former days. 



Fourth Day — on this day, if the weather be un- 

 l)roken, the cocks should be carried to the haggard 

 for ricking. The rick shoiUd be made gradually as 

 the hay is saved, and all you have to do to secure it 

 from rain, is to ridge it up in the evening, making 

 the top of the rick like the roof of a house ; throw that 

 off the next morning, or whenever you proceed with 

 the rick; it will soon dry, supposing the rain to have 

 fallen the night before — salt as you go. The other 

 operations proceed as before, and are to be continued 

 until the hay harvest is finished. As a general nde, 

 hay should be protected as much as possible by day 

 and night against rain and dew by cocking ; and it is 

 highly necessary to guard against spreading more hay 

 than the number of hands can get into cocks the same 

 day, or before rain. In showery and uncertain weather, 

 grass may be three, four, or even five days in swath ; but 

 before it has lain long enough for the under side of the 

 swath to become yellow, care should be taken to turn 

 the side of the swath with the heads of the rakes. 



In making the hay of bog meadows, much care is 

 necessary, from the inferioi-ity of the chmates where 

 such bogs abound, and from the nature of the grasses 

 they produce ; their grass being often of so soft a qua- 

 hty that it is difficult to make hay of it. This sort of 



