HAY MAKING IN RAINY COUNTRIES. 317 



mow, or a little higher on each side than the center. 



There ought to be no beams or ties or anything 

 in the mow for hay to rest upon. Where it is held 

 up by cross beams some of it may damage. 



Curing Green Alfalfa. — In a small way hay can be 

 made by mixing quite moist half-cured hay with 

 bright dry straw or last year's hay. I have often 

 done this, laying down first a layer of straw, then a 

 layer of alfalfa, another layer of straw and thus on 

 till the mow is full or the supply of dry material is 

 exhausted. Shredded corn fodder is a good ma- 

 terial to use in this way and it is notable that when 

 the mixed foliage is fed out the animals will eat both 

 the alfalfa and the other material mixed with it. 

 Perhaps some of the flavor of the alfalfa is im- 

 parted to the other material. 



Stacking Out of Doors. — In the West little care 

 is taken in building alfalfa ricks. They are often as 

 wide as 25' and the tops very flat and poorly adapted 

 to shedding off rain. In the East this will not do ; 

 the whole stack would become rotten. Alfalfa keeps 

 all right in stack or long rick, but there are certain 

 things -to bear in mind. Good foundations should 

 be built high enough off the ground so that air cir- 

 culates under them freely. They ought to be no 

 more than about 16' wide at the base, with a good 

 bulge higher up, and built as high as practicable. 

 We build them on Woodland Farm 25' high. They 

 should not be too hastily finished, as they will settle 

 unevenly and it is better to put the top on the 



