332 WHAT PAEMEES SAY. 



early in the morning, and when the dew is off spread it 

 well. I like to dry it in one day's sun, if I possibly 

 can ; if not, put it into cocks before night, then get it 

 into the barn as green as I can and not have it hurt. 

 I do not want my hay all dried up ; it injures it. Wet 

 meadow I put into the barn on the day it is cut, if, the 

 weather is suitable for curing it." 



Another writes, saying : " If the weather is good 

 and the grass not too heavy, we cut in the forenoon 

 and get into the barn in the afternoon. If the grass is 

 heavy and the weather not good, cut in the forenoon 

 and turn over the swaths at night ; spread and get in 

 the next day. I do not believe in drying hay as much 

 as some do. If not quite dry, two or three quarts of 

 salt to the load will preserve it, and it will be the bet- 

 ter." Another says : " I prefer to cut hay in the blos- 

 som on a good hay-day in the forenoon, and it is fit 

 for the barn, if raked with the horse-rake and care is 

 used to turn it over and bring the green grass to the 

 sun, by two or three o'clock in the afternoon of the 

 same day. Much hay is spoiled by being dried too 

 much." 



" Timothy will dry sufficient for me," says a sensible 

 farmer of my acquaintance, "in one good hay-day. 

 I dry less and less every year. If there is no moisture 

 on it, there is little danger of hurting after it is wilted." 

 He cuts his swale hay before it matures and while it is 

 quite green, and lets his upland grasses stand till they are 

 fully developed, and commence changing their deep 

 green color, and thinks it will, keep the same stock 

 longer and better, if cut at that age. Another experi- 

 enced farmer says : " My way of making hay is to cut 

 when in blossom, in the morning, shake it out evenly 

 over the ground, turn it over at eleven o'clock, and get 

 it into the barn on the same day, if the weather is good. 



