74 PRACTICAL NOTES ON GRASSES AND GRASS GROWING. 
after year many of them will be killed, and, although you may 
feed sharply and dress the pastures with mould afterwards, it 
will not counteract the harm that has accrued to them by 
procrastination. 
The average loss of weight in drying grass to hay amounts 
to about one quarter of the amount dried. Should the hay be 
an artificial crop of alternate husbandry (clover or trefoil 
mixture, for instance), it is not advisable to touch the hay until 
it is sufficiently made to cock or carry on the same day, and 
the amount of bad weather this grass will stand without 
serious deterioration, so long as it remains unmoved, is really 
surprising. Should this hay be caught in a shower, a beautiful 
aroma will arise therefrom; but experience tells us that the 
greater this delightful aroma the worse will the quality of the 
hay become. Upon the slightest sign of approaching rain 
this class of hay should instantly be cocked ; the cocks being 
sized in accordance with its forwardness and dryness. 
If the hay is cocked in good order the cocks may be made 
very large, and they may be left undisturbed for at least two 
days, when it will gather a little heat. The cocks may then be 
thrown out to receive a couple of hours’ sunshine, after 
which they can be put in readiness for the carter, thus 
causing the first fomentation when on the cock, and checking 
the second heat until the hay is stacked, which is best for 
good hay. ; 
Trifolium (Z7ifolium incarnatum) should be cut as soon as 
it begins to show colour, or it will become sticky and coarse ; 
besides, the longer it stands the more difficult its seed heads 
will be to deal with, they being at all times difficult to dry ; 
and, if numerous, the hay will require an extra amount of 
attention, or the stack will heat in a manner not only 
deleterious to the hay but alarming to the farmer. 
Lucerne, sainfoin, tares, peas, or lupins, if made into hay,. 
must also be treated in a manner similar to what we have 
