I40 SOME POINTS IN HAYMAKING. 



the seed is derived from other parts of the plant, 

 where it previously existed as starch, sugar, &c., by 

 a process of transition, so that the stems and leaves 

 lose all their succulent nutritious parts, and only the 

 woody fibre is left ; thus hay ripened for seed is not 

 so good for feeding as it would be if " green cut." 

 As different grasses ripen at different times, however, 

 it is not possible to catch all those in a mixture of 

 " seeds," or in meadow hay, at the proper stage, so 

 that an average must be hit on. In practice, of 

 course, the state of the weather and the forwardness 

 of other work on the farm generally, have more to do 

 with the time of beginning to cut than anything else, 

 but strenuous endeavours should be made not to let 

 the crop get ripe, but rather cut green ; the aftermath 

 will be all the better. 



The turning, cocking, and piking are all preparatory 

 to getting the hay safe in the stack; and as these 

 depend on the nature of the stuff and the state of the 

 weather, it is impossible to lay down rules. Every- 

 thing is done for the purpose of drying the fodder 

 to prevent heating ; but the writer has seen more 

 stuff spoiled from being too dry, or from getting too 

 much weather, than from over-heating. If it has 

 been dried too much from actual sunshine it becomes 

 hard, brown, and wiry, and there is not enough of 

 moisture left in to start the " haying fermentation " 

 (of which more anon) ; if it has been exposed to too 

 much wet weather the juices (containing sugar, soluble 

 albumen, &c.) get washed out, especially if the crop 

 is tossed about much ; while, if it is lying in a heap 

 and wet, alcoholic fermentation is set up at the 

 expense of the sugar. The fragrance of grass and 



