96 



SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



mowing machines, side-delivery hayrakes, tedders and convenient and 

 automatic forks for conveying the hay from wagons to mows or stacks. 

 With such an equipment the hay is secured with the minimum of labor 

 and the least possible handling and consequent loss of the leaves and 

 finer portions. 



It is maintained, however, that hay of better quality is obtained by 

 curing it in the field in the shock. Cocking hay so that it will not be 

 unduly exposed to rain entails additional labor. Canvas covers are 

 advised if weather conditions are uncertain. 



Hay placed in the mow or stack before thoroughly dry goes through 

 a sweating process. A certain degree of sweating is deemed desirable, 

 but should not proceed sufficiently far to develop moulds or cause dis- 

 coloration. The amount of sweating is dependent on the moisture in 

 the hay. The amount of moisture in hay as it is hauled from the field 

 varies greatly, but ordinarily will not exceed more than 25 to 28 per cent; 



20 to 25 per cent of 

 moisture is favorable 

 to a good quality of 

 hay, and is better than 

 to have it too dry or 

 too moist when stored. 

 Numerous determi- 

 nations of the shrink- 

 age of hay in stack or 

 mow show a loss in a 

 period of six months 

 ranging from as low as 

 3 per cent to over 30 

 per cent. This loss is 

 due chiefly to the loss 

 of moisture from the 

 hay. Where the sweating is intense and the temperature runs high, 

 there will also be some loss of organic matter. 



In stacking hay great care should be exercised in the construction 

 of the stacks in order that they shed water. The stacks should be built 

 of good form, and the central portion should be more thoroughly compacted 

 than the outsides. Where hay is valuable, it pays to cover the stacks 

 with good canvas covers or to provide a roof of boards. The stack 

 should be protected from the earth by a foundation of rails or by a thick 

 layer of straw. 



Hay is marketed both baled and unbaled. It is graded according 

 to its quality and freedom from weeds and grasses other than that of the 

 name under which sold. Market grades can be secured from grain 

 dealers' associations, and are generally given in market quotations. 



1 Courtesy of The International Harvester Company, Chicago. 



Combined Sweep Rake and Stacker. 1 



