34 FODDER IN INDIA. 



if fine spread out again next day after lo a.m. ; truly 

 this means a little more work and incidentally a little 

 more cost ; the second night after cutting put your grass 

 into proper "cocks" (lo — 15 mds. or more), it won't be 

 quite dry and will ferment just a little, this is one of the 

 features of "hay," the cocks should be made round and tidy 

 with " pointed tops," not squat and flat-topped ; leave the grass 

 here for a full week and then start stacking, and speaking of 

 stacks made on the grass plots let me say here that I much 

 prefer a "round stack" of only moderate size (10,00 mds.), 

 and so you go on over the whole farm cutting ; making 

 cocks, large cocks, stacks every one on their own job, and if 

 you've nursed your land, your bullocks, your machinery, etc., 

 and your native staff the whole harvest will be a most enjoy- 

 able picnic. Work early and work late but pay fair and play 

 fair, be everywhere every day and see you get your money's 

 worth. This seems the best way and with modifications to 

 suit local conditions wants a lot of beating ; there are others, 

 this is one and economical — start cutting and leave the 

 grass when cut ; after the second or third day, when there is a 

 decent quantity down send round your carts with 3 or 4 coolies 

 to load, and send the grass either straight down to the ration 

 stands or straight to the site for your stack or stacks— the 

 results on paper will very possibly be good ! but you will' 

 have no "hay" ; just now the procedure of issuing direct 

 from the ground is sometimes necessary in the future, when 

 you have attained that much to be desired " Station 

 reserve " it will never be " necessary." 



Dry Crops — Should be cut in pulas, gathas or sheaves 

 and be left lying when cut (in fine weather of course) 3 or 4 

 days, being turned over daily ; the pulas or sheaves will then 

 be stocked carefully heads upwards with a view to their 

 getting a maximum of air and wind right through, with a 

 minimum of wet in case of inopportune rain, the stocks 

 should be kept standing according to the condition of the 

 crop at cutting and the prevailing weather conditions from 

 14—30 days. After this stack in round stacks on good sound 



